Question:
Consider the following statements:
(1) INA trial was first initiated against Shah Nawaz, Prem Sahgal and G.S.Dhillon.
(2) Subhash Chandra Bose was main leader of defence team.
(3) This trial was held in a secretive manner.
(4) From Congress Party Jawaharlal Nehru, Tej Bahadure Sapru and K.N. Katju ready for defence of these INA soldiers.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
(A) (1) and (2) only
(B) (3) and (4) only
(C) (1) and (4) only
(D) (2) and (3) only
(C) (1) and (4) only
Analysis of the Statements
Here’s a breakdown of why statements (1) and (4) are correct, while (2) and (3) are incorrect.
- (1) INA trial was first initiated against Shah Nawaz, Prem Sahgal and G.S.Dhillon.
- Correct. The first and most famous of the Indian National Army (INA) trials, also known as the Red Fort Trials, began in November 1945. The three defendants were senior INA officers who represented the three major religions of India: Colonel Prem Kumar Sahgal (a Hindu), Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon (a Sikh), and Major-General Shah Nawaz Khan (a Muslim).
- (2) Subhash Chandra Bose was main leader of defence team.
- Incorrect. Subhash Chandra Bose, the leader of the INA, was reported to have died in a plane crash in August 1945, a few months before the trials began. Therefore, he could not have been part of the defense team.
- (3) This trial was held in a secretive manner.
- Incorrect. The trial was held in a very public manner at the Red Fort in Delhi. The British government intended it to be a public spectacle to showcase the “disloyalty” of the INA soldiers. However, the plan backfired spectacularly as the trials generated massive sympathy for the INA and fueled anti-British sentiment across India.
- (4) From Congress Party Jawaharlal Nehru, Tej Bahadure Sapru and K.N. Katju ready for defence of these INA soldiers.
- Correct. The Indian National Congress formed the INA Defence Committee, which included many of India’s most prominent lawyers. Jawaharlal Nehru, despite not having practiced law for decades, famously put on his barrister’s gown to appear in court. Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru and Kailash Nath Katju were also key members of this high-profile legal team, which was led by Bhulabhai Desai.