Tushar Gandhi moves Supreme Court opposing re-probe of Mahatma Gandhi murder

The petition filed by Mumbai-based Dr Pankaj Phadnis has sought reopening of the probe on several grounds, claiming it was one of the biggest cover-ups in history.

New Delhi: Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi on Monday moved the Supreme Court opposing reopening of the assassination case of the Father of the Nation.

A bench comprising Justices SA Bobde and L Nageswara Rao questioned the locus of Tushar Gandhi in the case.

While asking some searching questions on a plea seeking reopening of the investigation into the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the bench, during th earlier hearing, had appointed senior advocate and former additional solicitor general Amrender Sharan as amicus curiae to assist the court in the matter.

The Amicus curiae today sought four weeks time to respond to SC's queries, saying he was yet to receive documents from the National Archives.

The petition filed by Mumbai-based Dr Pankaj Phadnis, a researcher and a trustee of Abhinav Bharat, has sought reopening of the probe on several grounds, claiming it was one of the biggest cover-ups in history.

Gandhi was shot dead at point blank range in New Delhi on January 30, 1948 by Nathuram Vinayak Godse.

Phadnis has challenged the decision of the Bombay High Court which on June 6, 2016 had dismissed his PIL on two grounds -- firstly, that the findings of fact have been recorded by the competent court and confirmed right up to the apex court, and secondly, the Kapur Commission has submitted its report and made the observations in 1969, while the present petition has been filed 46 years later.

In the petition, Phadnis has also questioned the 'three bullet theory' relied upon by various courts of law to hold the conviction of accused -- Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte, who were hanged to death on November 15, 1949, and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar who was given the benefit of doubt due to lack of evidence.

He has claimed that the Justice J L Kapur Commission of Inquiry set up in 1966 was not able to unearth the entire conspiracy that had led to the killing of Gandhi.