DHAKA, Oct 3: India cannot specify a timeline for the extradition of former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, as Dhaka’s request is currently being examined under established legal procedures, Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi said on Saturday.
Speaking at a discussion organised by a private think tank in Dhaka, Trivedi said the question of when Hasina could return to Bangladesh could not be answered at this stage.
“Again and again, the government of India has replied to this that there is a process, and the process is legal, and it is well structured,” he said.
Hasina, 79, has been staying in India since August 2024, when she left Bangladesh after her government collapsed amid a widespread anti-government movement.
New Delhi has consistently maintained that Dhaka’s extradition request is being considered through the applicable legal and institutional framework.
Trivedi also addressed the circumstances surrounding Hasina’s arrival in India, making it clear that she was not brought into the country by the Indian Air Force or Army. She was flown to India on a Bangladesh Air Force aircraft on August 5, 2024, as the protests intensified and demonstrators advanced towards her official residence.
“At that point in time, Hasina was still the prime minister of Bangladesh,” Trivedi said, explaining that India had to respond to the rapidly developing situation as a neighbouring country.
He said refusing permission for the aircraft to land could have resulted in an unpredictable situation. Trivedi described the circumstances as tragic and stressed that events of such a nature should not be repeated anywhere.
His comments came during the fifth edition of the Bay of Bengal Conversation 2026 in Dhaka. Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who delivered the opening remarks at the event, was not present during the panel discussion.
The statement marked one of Trivedi’s clearest public comments on the extradition question. He had earlier avoided commenting on issues that he regarded as political in nature.
Relations between India and Bangladesh deteriorated considerably after Hasina’s government was removed from power. An interim administration headed by Muhammad Yunus took charge on August 8, 2024, and remained in office for around 18 months.
During the interim government’s tenure, Hasina was tried in absentia by a special tribunal and sentenced to death. Authorities also dissolved her Awami League party and formally sought her return through a diplomatic note.
Following the February 12 elections, which excluded the Awami League from the electoral contest, the government led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party under Tarique Rahman retained the restrictions on Hasina’s party and continued pressing New Delhi over the extradition request.
The matter has become one of the most contentious issues in bilateral relations and has also complicated plans for Rahman’s proposed visit to India.
New Delhi had invited Rahman to the BRICS outreach summit last month, while a separate bilateral invitation had been extended earlier in February. Rahman did not attend the BRICS gathering.
Tensions increased further after Hasina addressed a virtual press conference from New Delhi on August 5. Bangladesh’s foreign ministry subsequently said the atmosphere surrounding Rahman’s proposed India visit had been adversely affected by the event.
India has said it had no involvement in organising the virtual interaction and does not endorse statements made during the programme concerning Bangladesh’s government.
Despite continued differences, Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiyun Kabir described discussions with Trivedi on Tuesday as positive regarding Rahman’s possible visit to India. No date has yet been announced for the trip.