Hasina to return thru legal means, says Law Minister 

Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman has said that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will return to Bangladesh through a legal process under the extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India, adding that the government has completed all necessary formalities from its side. 

“Sheikh Hasina will come to Bangladesh through legal means. When she is extradited under the extradition treaty, that itself will be a legal process,” the minister told reporters on Saturday after attending an annual general meeting of the Bangladesh 
Registration Service Association at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Agargaon, Dhaka.

Asked whether Hasina would be given any legal opportunity upon her return, Asaduzzaman said the government had already taken all necessary legal steps and it was now up to India to decide what action it would take. “We have completed whatever was necessary from our side under the legal process. What they (India) will do is entirely up to them,” he said.

Referring to Article 47(3) of the Constitution and the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973, the law minister said the provision stipulates that individuals accused or convicted of crimes against humanity cannot claim fundamental rights in this regard.

He also said there was no legal provision for condonation of delay in filing appeals before the Appellate Division in cases under the special law, arguing that the law did not provide such an opportunity.

His remarks came amid renewed speculation over Hasina's possible return from India. The BBC Bangla published a report on Friday suggesting that New Delhi might have agreed in principle to her return, subject to certain conditions.

The report mentioned two possible conditions: Bangladesh would have to send a military aircraft to bring her back, as she had travelled to India aboard a Bangladeshi military aircraft, and the government would have to guarantee her an opportunity to appeal against her death sentence and ensure a fresh trial over the killings during the July 2024 uprising.

However, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal declined to comment on the report when asked about the alleged conditions at a media briefing.

Bangladesh has repeatedly requested India to extradite Hasina under the bilateral extradition treaty. She was sentenced to death in a crime against humanity case over the killings during the July 2024 mass uprising. India has yet to give an official response to Bangladesh's request.

Meanwhile, Hasina has reportedly announced her intention to return to Bangladesh in December, saying she would do so at any cost. 

Reuters recently reported that she had written to the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi seeking a new passport and national identity card.

Separately, Asaduzzaman said investigations into alleged crimes against humanity would soon begin in different districts, with the government providing all necessary assistance to the investigation agency and prosecution.