New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to entertain a writ petition seeking directions to bring the mortal remains of freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose from Japan to India.
After a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant indicated its unwillingness to hear the matter, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Ashish Ray, the grandnephew of Netaji, requested permission to withdraw the petition.
Singhvi informed the court that Netaji’s daughter, Anita Bose Pfaff, would file a fresh plea before the apex court.
The Bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi, subsequently dismissed the matter as withdrawn.
At the outset, the CJI-led Bench noted that similar petitions had previously been filed before the Supreme Court and had been dismissed. “How many times will this issue come to the Court?” the Bench remarked, recalling that a similar plea had been rejected as recently as 2024.
During the hearing, Singhvi submitted that Netaji had only one legal heir — his daughter Anita Bose Pfaff — and stated that she supported the petition.
However, the Bench pointed out that the legal heir herself was not the petitioner and should directly approach the Supreme Court if she wished to pursue the matter.
“But the heir is not the petitioner. The heir must come before us. She cannot fight behind the curtains,” the court observed, adding that while it respected the sentiments of the family, legal proceedings must be initiated by the concerned heir.
The apex court also commented on the timing and nature of such petitions during the hearing.
The Bench, led by CJI Surya Kant said that Netaji was among the country’s greatest national heroes and expressed its respect for his memory. However, it also noted that the court was aware of the reasons and timing behind such pleas.
The petition had alleged that the Union government had failed to bring back Netaji’s mortal remains preserved at Renkoji Temple, where ashes believed to belong to Bose have been kept for decades. It sought directions for the remains to be brought to India so that his daughter could perform his last rites in the country.
With IANS inputs