Daily current affairs · 19 August 2026
India Bangladesh Extradition Treaty Sheikh Hasina Legal Aspects
Why in news
- Bangladesh requested India to extradite former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, invoking bilateral judicial cooperation frameworks.
Information
- Extradition between the two nations is governed by the India-Bangladesh Extradition Treaty, signed in 2013 and amended in 2016.
- The treaty mandates the extradition of persons accused or convicted of extraditable offences punishable with imprisonment of one year or more.
- Article 6 of the treaty allows refusal of extradition if the offence requested is deemed of a political character by the requested state.
- However, crimes involving murder, genocide, terrorism, and mass violent acts are explicitly excluded from the scope of political offences under the agreement.
Key terms
Extradition
The formal surrender of an accused or convicted individual by one state to another state requesting custody.
Political Exception Clause
A treaty principle allowing sovereign states to refuse extradition if the alleged crime is political in nature.
Prelims facts
- Extradition requests in India are processed under the Extradition Act, 1962.
- The political offence exception standard excludes acts of terrorism, murder, and mass violence under modified modern treaties.
Mains discussion
- Evaluate the diplomatic and legal challenges India faces when balancing treaty obligations with strategic foreign policy imperatives.
Source: The Hindu