New Delhi: India said on Friday that the Bangladesh government’s extradition request for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is being examined as part of the judicial and legal processes, while assuring that New Delhi will engage constructively with all stakeholders on the matter.
There was a slight shift in India’s position on the issue, which was also raised when Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi on April 8, especially in view of the Indian side’s focus on establishing a working relationship with the new government in Dhaka. Hasina has been living in self-imposed exile in India since fleeing Bangladesh in August 2024 after its government was overthrown following weeks of student-led protests. The previous interim government in Bangladesh had first applied for extradition in December 2024.
“The request is being studied as part of the ongoing judicial and internal legal processes. We will continue to engage constructively in this issue with all stakeholders,” Jaiswal said in a weekly press conference in response to a question from Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Jaiswal responded to another question about the law passed by the Bangladesh Parliament this month, which is expected to give legal support to the interim government’s ban on Hasina’s Awami League party, saying: “We are following all developments closely.”
A statement issued by the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry after Rahman’s meeting with Jaishankar said that the Bangladeshi side “reiterated its request for the extradition of Hasina and her Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal” as they were sentenced to death by the International Crimes Court. The Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2026, recently passed by Bangladesh’s Parliament approving the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2025, includes provisions to ban individuals or entities involved in terrorist activities, people familiar with the matter said. The law does not specifically refer to any political party, and it remains to be seen whether it will be used against the Awami League, sources said.
