Sheikh Hasina’s extradition is possible through a “well-structured” process: the Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s extradition could go through a “well-structured process” that included “legalities” and that the legal process “has been put in place”, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi said on Saturday (Oct 3, 2026).

Speaking about Ms. Hasina’s presence in India at the Bay of Bengal Conversation, an annual conclave organized by the Dhaka-based Center for Governance Studies, Mr. Trivedi said that Ms. Hasina had sought refuge in India following consultations between the rulers of Bangladesh in July-August 2024 and that “India had almost no choice.”

“Again and again the Government of India through the spokesperson in the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) has responded to this – that there is a process and that the process involves legality and is well structured. So as far as that is concerned, the process is on,” Mr Trivedi replied to a question from a student at the conclave about Ms Hasina’s extradition.

Bangladesh’s ruling government, led by Prime Minister Tariq Rahman, has repeatedly demanded that Ms. Hasina be brought to justice for the July-August 2024 crackdown that led to the deaths of at least 800 civilians, including many students. A panel under the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights put the death toll at about 1,400.

“The legal process is in place that you can be very sure of – India is as vibrant and democratic as Bangladesh – and you will also respect the legal system and the legal system is working,” Mr Trivedi said, adding: “No one can give you a time frame (for extradition).

India and Bangladesh signed an extradition treaty in 2013 with specific grounds on which it can be stopped, including “an offense of a political nature”.

Mr. Trivedi spoke of the “tragic circumstances” in Bangladesh, referring to India’s decision to grant sanctuary to Ms. Hasin. “The situation arose because of the tragic circumstances in Bangladesh which must not be repeated anywhere else in the world. At that time Mrs. Hasina was still the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. We had no choice in this and it was our duty to accept the reality of life,” the High Commissioner said.

He also pointed to the sudden nature of developments in the final moments of the anti-Hasina uprising, adding: “Because the situations are such that sometimes you are not prepared for it”.

On August 5, 2024, Mrs. Hasina was first airlifted from near her residence in Bangladesh by a military helicopter and then airlifted to India by a Bangladesh Air Force aircraft. Recalling the involvement of the then Bangladeshi government machinery in facilitating Ms. Hasina’s evacuation from Dhaka, Mr. Trivedi said, “Ms. Hasina was not brought to India by the Indian Air Force or the Indian Army.”

“What was our choice? If you had said no and that we would not accept it, or if we had not given permission to land, then everything would have been different,” Mr. Trivedi said at a session titled “Strength and Prudence” on the first day of the three-day conclave held at Dhaka’s Sonargaon Hotel.

Mr. Trivedi, who arrived here as India’s new high commissioner on June 12, said he would “not shy away” from questions about Ms. Hasina’s extradition.

Mr. Trivedi, who arrived here as India’s new high commissioner on June 12, noted that innocent people had died in Bangladesh in the last days of Ms. Hasina’s rule.

In November 2025, Bangladesh’s International Criminal Tribunal handed down death sentences to Ms. Hasina and her home minister, Asaduzaman Khan Kamal, and on 15 September 2026, to several of her former colleagues, including former Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader.

India and Bangladesh opened official talks on hosting Mr. Rahman in New Delhi after the Indian High Commissioner’s arrival in Dhaka. Meanwhile, Ms. Hasina held a virtual press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in New Delhi on August 5, her first since being ousted, infuriating the incumbent government and causing turbulence in bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries. Mr. Rahman’s government is urging India to prevent Ms. Hasina from engaging in political activities from India.

On 5 August 2026, Mrs. Hasina stated that she would return to Bangladesh by December. Mr. Trivedi argues that a good neighbor would not interfere in the internal affairs of neighboring states. “Bangladesh is an independent country. It will independently decide which country to establish and maintain relations with,” the high commissioner said.

(The reporter is in Bangladesh at the invitation of the Center for Governance Studies in Dhaka to participate in the 2026 Bay of Bengal Conversation.)

Published – 3 Oct 2026 19:19 IST