Mahatma Gandhi assassination: SC appoints amicus curiae on plea seeking re-probe

The Supreme Court hearing a plea seeking re-probe into the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi appointed an amicus curiae to assist the court in the case.

Senior advocate and former additional solicitor general Amrender Sharan was appointed as amicus curiae by a bench comprising Justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao.

During the brief hearing on the petition, the top court said it was initially of the view that “nothing can be done in law” as the case has been decided decades ago.

However, the apex court gave free hand to Sharan and told him that its observation was not binding on him to make an assessment of the matter.

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The next hearing in the case would take place on October 30.  

The plea seeking re-investigation was filed by Dr Pankaj Phadnis, a trustee of the right-wing Hindu organisation “Abhinav Bharat”.

Dr Phadnis alleged the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi was one the biggest cover-ups in the history and sought reopening of the probe.

The leader of India’s freedom movement, Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead at point-blank range in New Delhi on January 30, 1948, by Nathuram Vinayak Godse, a right-wing advocate of Hindu nationalism.

(With agency inputs)