DHAKA: A Bangladesh court on Tuesday deferred to January 2 hearing on the bail petition of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachary on a government plea as no lawyer appeared on his behalf.
Das, a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was arrested from Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on November 25 for alleged sedition.
He was denied bail and sent to jail by a Chattogram court on November 26, triggering protests by his supporters.
"The bail petition hearing (of Brahmachary) was scheduled for today (Tuesday). The court of Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad Saiful Islam rescheduled the date as the prosecution side submitted a time petition as no lawyer appeared as defence counsel," a government prosecutor told reporters.
An associate of Das in his Sammilita Sanatani Jagaran Jote, Sawtantra Gauranga Das, on the other hand said no lawyer stood for the Hindu leader fearing threats and pressure from a "politically motivated lawyers' group".
Lawyer Subhashi Sharma, who submitted an affidavit on Das' behalf was not available for comments after violence over his arrest on a sedition charge for defaming the Bangladesh flag resulting in the killing of a government prosecutor in the port city.
There was heavy security in the Chattogram court area for the bail hearing. Large deployments of security officials from different forces took up positions nearby. Das was not brought to court for the hearing.
A leader from the Chattogram Bar Association and other lawyers were seen holding a protest march on the court premises.
Das' arrest sparked protests with his followers demonstrating in Dhaka and other places while in the port city of Chattogram, the protest turned violent when assistant government prosecutor Saiful Islam Alif was hacked to death hours after Das was sent to jail.
The relations between India and Bangladesh came under strain after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August.
India has been expressing concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in that country.
There has been a rise in violent attacks against Hindus in Bangladesh.
Hindu minority groups have been frequently reporting atrocities against their community members in different parts of Bangladesh, even after Yunus took charge.