India cannot give deadline on Hasina's extradition to Bangladesh: Envoy

India cannot provide a timeline for the extradition of former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi said on Saturday, adding that Dhaka's request is being examined through an established legal process.

“Nobody can give you a time frame (over Hasina’s return),” Trivedi said during a discussion organised by a private think tank in Dhaka, in response to questions about Bangladesh's repeated requests for Hasina's extradition.

Hasina, 79, has been living in India since fleeing Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, after her government collapsed amid a mass anti-government agitation.

“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,” Trivedi said.

He also said Hasina had not been brought to India by the Indian Air Force or Army. A Bangladesh Air Force aircraft carried her to India on August 5 as protesters moved towards her official residence. She was escorted from the residence by a Bangladesh Army-led security detachment.

“At that point in time, she (Hasina) was still the prime minister of Bangladesh. We had hardly any choice on that. It was our duty as a neighbour to accept the reality of life,” Trivedi said.

He described the circumstances surrounding her departure as “tragic” and said such circumstances should not be repeated anywhere in the world.

The comments came amid continued tensions between India and Bangladesh over Hasina's extradition. After her government was toppled, an interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus took office in August 2024.

In 2025, Hasina was tried in absentia by a special tribunal and sentenced to death. The interim government subsequently disbanded her Awami League party and sought her extradition through a diplomatic note.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, which came to power after the February 12 elections, has endorsed the ban on the Awami League and repeatedly renewed the extradition demand.

The issue has remained a point of strain in India-Bangladesh relations and has also affected Rahman's proposed visit to New Delhi. India had invited him to attend the BRICS Summit held last month, while a separate bilateral invitation had been extended in February. Rahman did not attend the summit or visit New Delhi.

Bangladesh has said it remains positive about progress on discussions over Rahman's proposed India visit, though no date has been fixed.

Hasina's virtual press conference from New Delhi on August 5 also added to tensions. She said she intended to return to Bangladesh in December despite the possibility of imprisonment or a death sentence.

Bangladesh's foreign ministry subsequently said the process for Rahman's proposed visit had been affected by the virtual interaction, while India said it had no role in the event and did not endorse statements made there about the Bangladesh government.

Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said Hasina would be arrested immediately if she returned and that the court verdict against her would be executed in accordance with the law.