The 1945-46 INA Trials: How it accelerated India’s independence!

 

Ideas such as history, freedom, nationalism, justice, and polity, which once animated the intellectual and moral life of the nation, are steadily receding from public discourse, increasingly drowned out by noise, hype, fake outrage, and shrinking attention spans. It has therefore become imperative to revive a culture of informed, open-minded dialogue and to invite distinguished thinkers and public intellectuals to share perspectives that provoke reflection rather than merely reinforce prejudice. At Awadh Conclave, we attempt to contribute to this endeavour through conclaves, discussions, and interactive sessions, both online and in person, alongside various cultural and social initiatives.

 

In continuation of this effort, my friend Anand Vardhan Singh and I, on behalf of Awadh Conclave, organized a reading and discussion session in Lucknow on 24 May 2026 on Dr. Ashis Ray’s remarkable book, The Trial That Shook Britain: How a Court Martial Hastened Acceptance of Indian Independence.

Those as young as I am would instantly recognize that unforgettable baritone, rich, measured, and deeply evocative, which became the soundtrack to several defining moments of modern Indian sporting history. Equally compelling were his words and writings, marked by clarity, elegance, and an instinctive feel for history in the making. It was this voice and these words that carried from London the triumphant echoes of Prakash Padukone’s historic 1980 All England Badminton victory, the moment Indian badminton announced itself to the world. A few years later, during the 1983 Cricket World Cup, the same voice became inseparable from India’s improbable conquest at Lord’s. As the BBC’s first and only Asian ball-by-ball commentator for the tournament, Dr. Ashis Ray brought every thrilling moment of that unforgettable final against the mighty West Indies alive for millions of Indian listeners. For an entire generation, his voice and words became inseparably intertwined with the memory of India’s greatest sporting underdog story. The owner of that legendary voice and those immortal words is, of course, Dr. Ashis Ray himself.

Dr. Ray has authored several important works, notably Cricket World Cup: The Indian Challenge and Laid to Rest: The Controversy over Subhas Chandra Bose’s Death. We were privileged that he agreed to visit Lucknow to speak about his latest and perhaps most historically consequential work. Incidentally, he is also the grandson of Sarat Chandra Bose, elder brother of Subhas Chandra Bose.

The occasion was further enriched by the presence of Subhashini Ali as the keynote speaker. Uncompromising in her convictions, she has spent a lifetime championing labour rights, women’s empowerment, secularism, and social justice. One may agree or disagree with her role in Kanpur’s turbulent industrial years and subsequent downfall, but few can deny that her staunch convictions define her public life. Yet, beyond ideology, she carries an extraordinary historical inheritance. She is the daughter of two of the most celebrated soldiers of the Indian National Army, Lakshmi Sahgal and Prem Kumar Sahgal. Captain Lakshmi was personally chosen by Netaji to lead the legendary Rani Jhansi Regiment, one of the world’s earliest all-women combat regiments in modern history. Colonel Prem commanded INA formations in the Burma campaign, including the fierce battles around Mount Popa. Together, they embodied a generation that wagered everything for India’s freedom.

The session proved deeply illuminating. Ms. Ali delivered a powerful and nuanced address on the life, ideals, and political philosophy of Netaji, as well as the epochal INA trials of 1945–46 held at the Red Fort. This was followed by Dr. Ray’s engrossing presentation and interaction with the audience, where he read from his book and expanded upon its painstaking historical and investigative research into the court martial trials and their far-reaching consequences; proceedings which electrified the nation and profoundly shook the legitimacy of British rule in India.

Those interested may watch the complete session here:

https://www.youtube.com/live/a1EtOjZyeWY?si=RlHlHAjGGTs5eZqK

What follows here is a brief overview of the book and some of the exceptionally significant insights that emerged during the discussion. It is not my place to pronounce judgments on those observations but merely to place them before readers. History rarely offers absolute truths; rather, it presents competing interpretations through which societies understand themselves.  I have added a few reflections of my own in blue, and encourage thoughtful engagement, for it is ultimately the quality of our thinking that shapes the character of a nation.

The book exposes a war-exhausted Britain’s fatal miscalculation: attempting to crush Indian defiance by putting three INA heroes on trial for treason. Instead of enforcing colonial dominance, the Red Fort became an explosive ideological battleground. Ray captures the raw fury of a subcontinent united. This single trial shattered deep sectarian divides, binding Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs in shared outrage. The narrative brilliantly uncovers a profound political irony. The Indian National Congress, deeply rooted in Gandhian non-violence, pivoted to capitalise on the public's ferocious mood. Leaders like Nehru weaponised the INA's armed defiance to corner the Raj. As panic rippled through British high command, the trial triggered historic mutinies across the Royal Indian Navy and the British Indian Army. Ray proves that this legal theatre permanently broke the illusion of imperial control. It violently transformed a polite plea for gradual self-governance into an immediate, explosive, and completely non-negotiable exit strategy for the British Empire.

The foundational narrative that non-violence alone won India’s freedom demands an urgent, uncompromising correction. While peaceful resistance shook the empire, it was the armed defiance of the Indian National Army (INA), the volcanic outrage of the Red Fort trials, and the subsequent military mutinies that dealt the lethal blow to British rule. If not for these catalysts, independence would have been agonizingly delayed.

Future generations must not only learn about peaceful protest; they must revere the bravehearts who dared to pick up weapons and look the British Empire dead in the eye.

The three iconic INA officers put on trial: Major General Shah Nawaz Khan, Colonel Prem Kumar Sahgal, and Colonel Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon. They were originally commissioned in the British Indian Army before transferring their allegiance to Netaji’s revolutionary force in Southeast Asia. They stood in the dock representing India's three major faiths. Crucially, Sahgal and Dhillon hailed from two communities that colonial politics had viciously set at loggerheads with the third. Yet, they stood indivisible, fiercely refusing to beg for imperial clemency. They knew they had done their patriotic duty, ready to make the ultimate sacrifice..

There is no greater symbol of India’s syncretic soul and unyielding nationalism. If we fail to highlight their unity, we risk erasing our own heritage.

This brings us to a striking truth: of all the giants of the freedom struggle, perhaps only two remain universally uncriticised and deeply revered by every single Indian. The great Mahatma is not one of them. Those two undisputed icons are Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh.

It is a stunning realization, but undeniably true and profoundly significant.

Dr. Ray sought to heal a deep historical rift by shedding light on the complex bond that Netaji shared with Gandhi and Nehru. Ideological differences with Netaji emerged because Gandhi leaned toward the right-wing faction of the Congress party, whereas Nehru shared more common ground with his leftist vision.

We must not sweep these deep ideological fractures under the rug. Yet, beneath the political friction lay a profound and undeniable mutual reverence among the three of them.

The aftermath of INA’s struggle brought immense heartbreak. Virtually all nearly 24,000 brave souls of the British Indian Army who risked everything to join the INA  were barred from entering the armed forces of free India. Nehru made this agonizing call under pressure from Lord Mountbatten and British and Indian military chiefs of the newly formed Indian Army. They argued that welcoming back soldiers who broke their oaths for the sacred cause of freedom threatened to infect the new military with insubordination. This cold policy stripped these patriots of their regular military pensions and cast them into financial exile. For over two decades, the state treated them as mutineers rather than heroes. It was only in 1972, under Indira Gandhi, that India finally recognized them as freedom fighters and offered financial relief.

This decision remains a subject of debate and I would respect all opinions. I, however, consider it a painful scar on our history and cannot condone it. For a nation reborn from the ashes of tyranny, the burning spirit of patriotism should have triumphed over military fears of indiscipline. To deny these warriors their livelihood for over twenty years, forcing countless bravehearts to perish in grinding poverty, is a shameful stain on our national conscience. While these heroes have long since passed into the quiet of the forgotten, we must do whatever it takes to restore their stolen dignity and honor their sacrifice.

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