Bangladesh court reissues arrest warrants for Sheikh Hasina and her family over land corruption charges.

A Bangladesh court on Sunday issued arrest warrants against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, British MP Tulip Rizwana Siddiq, and 50 others over allegations of illegally acquiring land by misusing political influence, according to a report by Press Trust of India.

The order was issued by Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain, following a review of three separate charge sheets submitted by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). “The court has scheduled April 27 for submission of a report on the execution of these arrest warrants,” said Aminul Islam, ACC Assistant Director (Prosecution), as quoted by the Dhaka Tribune.

This legal move follows closely on the heels of a previous arrest order from the same court in a separate case, which involves Hasina and her daughter Saima Wazed Putul. That case centers on alleged corruption in the allocation of residential plots by the government’s urban development authority, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK), in Dhaka’s Purbachal area.

According to Prothom Alo, a leading Bengali daily, the ACC has filed three cases in total, all concerning the alleged abuse of power to obtain land plots for Hasina’s family members. In total, 53 individuals are named in the charge sheets, including Rehana’s son Radwan Mujib Siddiq and British MP Tulip Siddiq.

In one of the cases, Hasina and Rehana are accused of facilitating the illegal allocation of a 10-katha plot in the Purbachal project to Tulip Siddiq. Another case involves Azmina Siddiq, while the third implicates Radwan Mujib Siddiq, both accused of using political clout to obtain land unlawfully.

The charges claim that the land was acquired through direct appeals made to Hasina—who was the serving prime minister at the time—bypassing official channels and disregarding eligibility criteria. ACC officials, as cited by The Indian Express, allege that Putul approached her mother directly rather than applying through the designated RAJUK procedures.

Sheikh Hasina, now 77, has been residing in India since her removal from office on August 5, 2024. Her ousting followed a massive student-led uprising that ended her 16-year rule under the Awami League. The interim administration now in power, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has initiated several legal proceedings against prominent figures from the previous government.

In a strongly worded online address from India earlier this week, Hasina criticized Yunus, accusing him of being behind a violent campaign against Awami League members and supporters. “Yunus has murdered so many of our people… This is a calculated attempt to wipe us out,” she said, drawing parallels to the atrocities committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

Calling Yunus a “moneylender” obsessed with power, Hasina alleged that loyalists within her party, as well as police personnel and journalists, were being systematically targeted. “They are being slaughtered—bludgeoned to death, hacked—just like in 1971,” she declared.

India has not yet formally responded to Bangladesh’s request for Hasina’s extradition. However, New Delhi has voiced concern over the treatment of religious minorities in Bangladesh. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly addressed the issue with Yunus during the recent BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok. Following the summit, India’s Ministry of External Affairs urged restraint, saying, “Rhetoric that worsens the atmosphere should be avoided.”