Previous Year Question

During the final phase of the Second World War, following the defeat of Japan, several soldiers and officers of the Indian National Army (INA) or Azad Hind Fauj were taken into custody by the British Government. They were subsequently subjected to trials before military courts.

The most famous first INA Trial involved Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sahgal and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon. The proceedings were held at the Red Fort from 5 November 1945 to 31 December 1945. One of the principal charges against them was waging war against the British King.

The three officers belonged to different religious communities, but their trial generated widespread political and popular support across the country. Consequently, the INA Trials became not merely legal proceedings but an important political episode in the Indian freedom movement.

The Congress constituted a committee of lawyers for the defence of the accused officers. Bhulabhai Desai played a leading role in the defence and presented extensive legal arguments on behalf of Shah Nawaz Khan, Sahgal and Dhillon.

The military court found all three guilty, but nationwide public sentiment and protests in their favour became so widespread that their sentences were ultimately not enforced and they were released. The INA Trials also had a significant impact on attitudes towards British rule among the Indian armed forces and the wider public.

A museum relating to the INA and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is now located within the same Red Fort complex, preserving the memory of these historic trials.