SUPREME COURT GIVES CENTRE FOUR WEEKS TO RESPOND ON NETAJI’S REMAINS

September 28, 2026

The Supreme Court has granted the Centre four weeks to respond to a petition filed by Anita Bose Pfaff, daughter of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, seeking the return to India of the ashes attributed to her father and preserved at Tokyo’s Renkoji Temple.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana agreed to the Centre’s request for additional time to submit its response. The petition was filed after the court had earlier asked Bose’s daughter to approach it directly over the issue.

Pfaff has publicly sought the repatriation of what she describes as her father’s mortal remains so that final rites can be conducted in India. The remains have been kept at Renkoji Temple since 1945, amid longstanding historical debate surrounding Bose’s disappearance and death.

The proceedings follow an earlier Supreme Court decision in March, when the court declined to entertain a similar petition filed by Bose’s grandnephew and indicated that the direct heir should approach the court herself if she wanted judicial intervention.

The latest case therefore places the question of the remains before the court through Bose’s daughter, while the Centre’s response is now awaited. The Supreme Court has not made any final determination in the present proceedings regarding the identity or authenticity of the remains preserved at Renkoji Temple.