INA Trials 1945-46

Story hook

It is 5 November 1945. Inside the Lal Qila (Red Fort) of Delhi — the very seat of Mughal sovereignty appropriated by the British in 1857 — a court martial convenes. In the dock stand three officers of the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) founded by Subhas Chandra Bose:

• Colonel Shah Nawaz Khan — Muslim, Punjabi, formerly of the 1st Punjab Regiment of British Indian Army.
• Colonel Prem Kumar Sahgal — Hindu, Punjabi, formerly of the 2nd/10th Baluch Regiment.
• Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon — Sikh, Punjabi, formerly of the 1st/14th Punjab Regiment.

The choice is calculated. A Hindu, a Muslim, a Sikh — all charged with "waging war against the King-Emperor" under Section 121 of the Indian Penal Code, with murder and abetment of murder of fellow Indian soldiers. The British expect exemplary punishments to shatter the INA's mystique.

The Congress takes up their defence. Bhulabhai Desai — veteran constitutional lawyer — leads a team that includes Jawaharlal Nehru (who dons the lawyer's robe for the first time in 25 years), Tej Bahadur Sapru, Asaf Ali, and Kailash Nath Katju. Outside, the streets of Delhi explode with "Lal Qila se aayi awaaz, Sahgal-Dhillon-Shahnawaz".

By November 1945-February 1946, INA Day rallies, RIN Mutiny, RIAF disturbances, postal strike, university strikes shake India. The British realise they can no longer rely on Indian soldiers + Indian police. Within 18 months, they quit. The INA Trials — designed to crush — became the spark that lit Independence.

Why this matters for UPSC

For UPSC:

• Prelims: dates, three accused names, defence team, charges, Bhulabhai Desai's argument, link to RIN Mutiny. Asked 2-3 times in last 10 years including a 2023 question.
• Mains GS-I: how INA Trials accelerated transfer of power; the disaffection in armed forces as the decisive factor in British withdrawal.
• Interview: Bose-Gandhi-Nehru triangle; military justice vs civilian rights; INA's communal harmony precedent.