New Delhi has firmly maintained that any request regarding the extradition of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina remains strictly a legal matter to be handled through established judicial procedures.

This measured stance comes even as India reiterated its commitment to fostering a positive, constructive, and forward-looking partnership with Dhaka following the unexpected postponement of bilateral consular negotiations.

During a weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Friday, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addressed reporters' questions concerning Dhaka's persistent demands for the ousted leader's return.

Keeping India's official position concise and firmly anchored in due process, Jaiswal stated, "Extradition is a legal matter and it will be dealt with accordingly."

The diplomatic exchange unfolds against the backdrop of renewed friction between the two neighbours, particularly after the fifth round of the India-Bangladesh Consular Dialogue, originally scheduled to take place in Dhaka on November 17 and 18, was deferred.

Despite the delay in consular discussions, Jaiswal emphasised that New Delhi continues to engage actively with the Bangladeshi administration across numerous institutional frameworks.

"India desires a positive, constructive and forward-looking relationship with Bangladesh. Accordingly, initiatives have been taken and meetings held under structured mechanisms in areas such as trade, railways, water resources and border management, among others," the spokesperson remarked.

Confirming that the postponed fifth round of consular talks will indeed be rescheduled, Jaiswal noted that revised travel arrangements will feature prominently on the agenda once both nations agree upon a new timeframe.

"The next round of the India-Bangladesh Consular Dialogue, which will also take up matters relating to revised travel arrangements, will be held on a mutually convenient date. India remains ready to discuss all matters and bilateral issues with Bangladesh through these existing mechanisms, including at the technical level. The Consular Dialogue will be held on a mutually convenient date," he added.

The consular dialogue, which was initiated in 2017 to streamline visa procedures, border management, and the repatriation of detained citizens, would have marked the first such high-level consular meeting since the political upheaval of August 2024.

While routine administrative cooperation continues through technical channels, the broader diplomatic climate has been complicated by fresh political manoeuvres involving the 78-year-old former prime minister.

Sheikh Hasina, who has been residing in India since fleeing Dhaka in August 2024 following a deadly mass uprising that brought an end to her 15-year rule, recently reached out to the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi.

Marking her first formal communication of this nature since entering exile, Hasina requested the return of her passport and national identity card to facilitate a planned return to Bangladesh in December.

Her legal representatives reportedly wrote to the diplomatic mission seeking fresh travel and identification documents, signalling her intent to travel back to her homeland despite facing severe legal jeopardy and an International Crimes Tribunal conviction in absentia.

However, the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party government, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman following his election in February 2026, has fiercely dismissed Hasina's request as a calculated political stunt designed to mislead the public and sow domestic instability.

Officials in Dhaka have argued that the Bangladeshi public decisively ousted Hasina through a popular uprising, insisting that her political career is irreversibly finished and that strict legal accountability awaits her.

Khsirul Kabir Khokon, a Member of Parliament and Joint Secretary General of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, strongly condemned Hasina's latest move in a telephonic interview, accusing her of attempting to disrupt the country's current trajectory.

"Sheikh Hasina is making these moves, such as asking for her passport, to create instability. These actions have been rejected by the people of Bangladesh; she carried out mass killings in Bangladesh and took refuge in India. There is already a national consensus in Bangladesh that Sheikh Hasina’s political role here has been rejected. She is accused of crimes against humanity, as well as abductions, murders, and other serious offences. Therefore, she has no chance of entering politics in Bangladesh anymore", Khokon stated.

The senior ruling party leader further asserted that Hasina is unable to accept the ongoing political transition in Dhaka and dismissed her prospects of ever staging a political comeback.

"Unable to tolerate these positive changes, she is making political stunts and making baseless statements. She has no future in Bangladeshi politics—people have already rejected her. Politically, she is a dead horse," Khokon added.

Senior figures within the Bangladeshi administration have echoed this sentiment, maintaining that Dhaka seeks Hasina's transfer under existing bilateral extradition treaties rather than permitting her to return with regular travel documentation.

As both nations navigate these sensitive political and legal undercurrents, New Delhi's emphasis on structured bilateral mechanisms signals an effort to insulate vital economic, water-sharing, and border cooperation from immediate diplomatic strains.

ANI