Sheikh Hasina extradition is bound by legal process with no deadline, says India

India cannot provide a timeline for the extradition of deposed Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as the request is currently being handled through a structured legal process, New Delhi's envoy to Dhaka has said.

Speaking at the Bay of Bengal Conversation in Dhaka on Saturday, High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi said that India is reviewing the request under its established legal framework. He emphasized that the extradition treaty signed between the two countries in 2013 contains specific provisions, and the legal review is active.

"Nobody can give you a timeframe," Trivedi said in response to a question about Dhaka's persistent demands. "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."

Why India allowed Hasina to land

Trivedi also defended India's decision to grant Hasina refuge after she fled Dhaka on 5 August 2024, amid mass protests that led to the deaths of hundreds of civilian demonstrators. He described the situation as an unexpected crisis that forced India's hand.

"At that point in time, Hasina was still the prime minister of Bangladesh," Trivedi said. "We had hardly any choice on that. It was our duty as a neighbour to accept the reality of life, because situations are such where at times you are not prepared for it."

Addressing rumours regarding her departure, the High Commissioner clarified that neither the Indian Air Force nor the Indian Army was involved in transporting her. Instead, she was escorted from her official residence by a Bangladeshi military detachment and flown to India on a Bangladesh Air Force aircraft.

"What was our choice?" Trivedi asked. "If we would have said that no, we are not going to accept, we don't give landing permission, things would have been I don't know what."

Strained diplomatic ties

The presence of the 79-year-old former leader in India has severely strained relations between New Delhi and Dhaka. Following her departure, an interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus ran Bangladesh for 18 months, during which a special tribunal tried Hasina in absentia and sentenced her to death. Her Awami League party was also banned.

Following elections on 12 February 2026, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party came to power under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. His government has endorsed the ban on Hasina's party and repeatedly renewed demands for her extradition to face justice.

The row has also clouded diplomatic visits. Prime Minister Rahman declined an invitation to attend the BRICS outreach summit in India last month, and a separate bilateral visit has remained on hold since February. Ties worsened further on 5 August 2026, when Hasina addressed a virtual press conference from New Delhi to mark the second anniversary of her ouster, prompting protests from Dhaka. India maintained it had no role in facilitating the broadcast.

Despite the friction, there are signs that both sides are trying to keep diplomatic channels open. Following a meeting with Trivedi last week, Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said Dhaka remains positive about progress toward scheduling Rahman's proposed visit to India, though no date has been finalised.

Trivedi stressed that India remains committed to a policy of non-interference. "Bangladesh is an independent country," he said. "A true neighbour does not interfere in another country’s internal affairs."