Published : 27 Nov 2025, 01:23 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 02:48 PM
New Delhi has confirmed receiving Bangladesh’s letter requesting India to return Sheikh Hasina, who was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity in the July Uprising.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randeep Jaiswal told reporters on Wednesday that the letter had been received and is under review.
Without clarifying whether a response will be given, he added: “As part of ongoing judicial and internal legal processes, we remain committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including peace, democracy, inclusion, and stability in that country. And will continue to engage constructively in this regard with all stakeholders.”
The interim government’s Foreign Advisor Touhid Hossain said the note had been delivered through Bangladesh’s mission to India.
“A note verbale (diplomatic note) has been submitted to their foreign ministry via our mission. No reply has come. Now we don’t expect an answer to the letter [right now] either,” he said.
He added: “We don’t expect a reply... so soon -- we haven’t yet received an answer to the previous letter either. So I don’t expect a reply within a week. But we do hope that we will eventually get a response.”
On Nov 17, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) sentenced Hasina and her home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death as “instructor and instigator” of crimes against humanity during the July Uprising.
Another suspect in the case, former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun received a “lenient” five-year sentence after he turned state witness and assisted in the trial.
Four days after the verdict, Bangladesh sent India a letter requesting Hasina’s extradition under the bilateral extradition treaty. Since her ousting on Aug 5, 2024, Hasina and Kamal have remained in India.
Bangladesh had previously requested Hasina’s return in December last year after the tribunal proceedings began, but India did not respond.
About the latest letter, Touhid said: “We have stated that as she has been convicted, she should be returned.”
He added that the letter was sent to follow procedure, despite not expecting a reply within a week.
