India courts will decide extradition of Sheikh Hasina, talks on to change course

India's judiciary is set to determine the fate of Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, following a request from the Tarique Rahman government for her extradition. Senior officials in India clarified that such requests must go through the country's judiciary and will be decided based on whether the alleged crimes also constitute crimes under Indian law.

Meanwhile, discussions are underway with Dhaka to reconsider the maximalist stance on the issue. Sheikh Hasina, who faces a death sentence in Bangladesh, has stated her intention to return to her homeland in December, referencing the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. She has been granted refuge in New Delhi since the August 2024 mass uprising in Dhaka, where she held a virtual press conference and announced her determination to return home.

Members of the ousted Awami League party claim she has been in regular contact with her party cadre in Bangladesh and has occasionally met with them in person. However, Bangladesh is pressing for her extradition based on the death penalty verdict delivered by the International Crimes Tribunal in November 2025, which convicted her of crimes against humanity.

India signed an extradition pact with Bangladesh in 2013, which stipulates that extradition requests will be reviewed by the country's judiciary and only considered if the alleged offence is not of a political nature.