The Supreme Court rejected a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) aiming to declare Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army (INA) as the force behind India’s Independence. The plea, filed by Pinakpani Mohanty, also requested recognition of Netaji as the ‘National Son’ and the designation of his birth anniversary and INA’s foundation day as national days. However, the court, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, declined to entertain the petition, citing previous similar dismissals.
The PIL sought to declare January 23 and October 21 as national days in honor of Netaji’s birth anniversary and the INA’s foundation day, respectively. It also aimed to have Netaji’s birthplace in Cuttack designated as a national museum. The Bench, headed by CJI Surya Kant, questioned the petitioner’s motives for filing repetitive pleas and cautioned against misusing the PIL jurisdiction, emphasizing that factual matters are beyond judicial determination.
The Supreme Court criticized the trend of filing petitions on historical and political issues, stating that such matters do not align with the judicial process. The court directed its registry not to accept any future writ petitions from the petitioner on similar topics. The dismissal of the PIL underscored the court’s stance against addressing historical and political declarations through judicial proceedings, emphasizing the need for legal claims to be pursued by appropriate heirs directly involved in the matter.
