Bangladesh Cancels Training Program for Judges in India

Dhaka: Bangladesh’s interim government announced on Sunday that it had cancelled a planned training programme for 50 judges and judicial officers in India, reversing a previous notification.

“The notification has been cancelled,” said a law ministry spokesman, offering no further details.

According to reports, the cancellation was made in compliance with a directive from Bangladesh’s Supreme Court.

The order came just a day after the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported that 50 lower judiciary judges were scheduled to attend a one-day training programme from February 10 at the National Judicial Academy and the State Judicial Academy in Madhya Pradesh.

The trainee judges selected under the programme were district and sessions judge or its equivalent officers, additional district and sessions judge, joint district judge, senior assistant judge and assistant judge.

The Indian government was supposed to bear all the expenses for the training programmes.

India and Bangladesh have witnessed strained ties since the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to New Delhi on August 5 last year following a massive student-led protest that toppled her Awami League's 16-year regime.

There have been a series of attacks on Hindu community members and their places of worship after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power on August 8.

New Delhi has already raised concern with Dhaka, especially after a Hindu monk was arrested in a sedition case and put in jail after he was denied bail last month.

(with agency inputs)