Supreme Court Declines PIL for Probe into Subhas Chandra Bose's Death

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking an investigation into the death of Indian freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose. The case, titled Pinak Pani Mohanty v. Union of India and Others, also sought a declaration that Bose's Azad Hind Fauj played a decisive role in securing India’s independence in 1947.

Bose is widely believed to have died from burns sustained in a plane crash in Taiwan in 1945. However, the petitioner argued that there is no conclusive evidence to confirm this, citing unresolved findings by the Shah Nawaz Commission (1956) and the Khosla Commission (1970).

A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan observed that the issue involved matters of policy and was beyond the purview of judicial adjudication.

“You should approach the appropriate forum. This is not a matter for the Court to decide. The question of whether the commission’s inference regarding Netaji’s death was valid is a policy issue, not one for judicial determination,” Justice Kant remarked.

The petitioner further asserted that Bose did not die in the plane crash and requested the Court to initiate a fresh inquiry into the matter. Additionally, they sought recognition of the Azad Hind Fauj’s pivotal role in India’s independence.

Dismissing the plea, Justice Kant stated, “We are not experts in every field. If you are a political worker, raise this issue with your party. It is not the Court’s role to run the government.”

The Court reiterated its stance that such matters are better addressed through political or administrative channels rather than judicial intervention.