CJ to inaugurate exhibition on ''pre-Independence trials''

New Delhi, May 13 (UNI) Chief Justice of India Y K Sabharwal today inaugurated a series of exhibitions on ''pre-Independence trials'' in the Supreme Court museum.

The inauguration of the exhibitions on pre-Independence trials, starting with Alipore Bomb Conspiracy case, was attended by Union Law Minister H R Bhardwaj and sitting apex court and high court judges.

The genesis of the case can be traced to the partition of Bengal in 1905 which had led to mass strikes and widespread protests that failed to move the British government to annul the division.

Freedom fighters Kanai Lal and Satyendera Nath Bose, who had killed Narender Nath Gossain for turning an approver in the case, were given death sentence while ten others were acquitted.

Exhibits of the case had been obtained from various sources such as police museum and Alipore district court museum in Kolkata.

Mr P L Dutta, the city civil and sessions judge, Kolkata in 1997, had to take the help of a petty thief when he could not open the lock of the almirah containting case papers.

The exhibition displays weapons used by the revolutionaries including R-30 revolver and documents, a copy of the judgement along with photographs of accused in the high- profile trial in India, in which even the rich and mighty of the Bengal resorted to bombings.

The main accused in the case Aurobindo Ghose was acquitted and his counsel Barrister C.R. Das became a nationalist leader in the freedom movement.

The death sentence to Barindra Kumar Ghose and Ullaksar Dutta was reduced to life imprisonment by the High Court on appeal.

The exhibition is divided into many sections. The first traces the historical background of the case while the second deals with British imperialism. The third is about the actual event and its impact on the administration, while fourth is about the trial in the Court of Alipore and the fifth section is on the aftermath of the trial and its impact on the freedom struggle.

On April 30, 1908, Khudiram Bose along with Prafulla Chaki threw a bomb near Planters Club, Muzarffarpur, to kill the then infamous Presidency magistrate of Calcutta Kingsford but by mistake killed the wife and daughter of Barrister Pringle Kennedy. The killing had a huge impact on the movement.

Bose was hanged to death while Chaki committed suicide. The document, original records and arms used in the incident were part of the exhibition.

Some retired Supreme Court and High Court judges also attended the function.

UNI AKS/SC MSJ HT1450