SC junks PIL seeking to declare Netaji Bose ‘national son’

NEW DELHI, Apr 20:  Terming the petitioner “incorrigible”, the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a PIL seeking to declare Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose a “National Son” and to credit the Azad Hind Fauj (INA) for India’s independence.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi rebuked the petitioner, Pinakpani Mohanty, for wasting the court’s time.
“We will ban your entry into the Supreme Court. We have already dismissed the same plea earlier,” the CJI said.
The CJI also recognised the petitioner as a person who was reprimanded earlier for filing frivolous PILs.
When the CJI questioned if he had filed such a plea previously, Mohanty replied in Hindi, “Yeh baar alag hai.(It is different this time).”
When asked who drafted the petition, Mohanty identified a “Mukherjee sir”, further irking the bench.
The PIL sought a series of declarations, including official recognition that Netaji’s INA secured India’s independence from the British in 1947 and that he be declared India’s “National Son”.
The bench noted that it was an attempt to gain popularity and a similar PIL by petitioner was rejected earlier.
It directed the apex court registry to not entertain any PIL by the petitioner in future. (PTI)