SC Seeks Centre’s Reply on Subhas Chandra Bose’s Daughter’s Plea to Bring Netaji’s Ashes Back From Japan

August 11, 2026

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought the Centre’s response to a plea filed by Anita Bose Pfaff, daughter of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, seeking directions for the return to India of the remains attributed to the freedom fighter and preserved at Tokyo’s Renkoji Temple.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, issued notice to the Centre on Pfaff’s petition. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared for the petitioner.

The latest proceedings revive a decades-old dispute over Netaji’s reported death in 1945 and the identity of the ashes preserved at the Japanese temple.

Supreme Court Gives Centre Opportunity to Respond

During the hearing, the petitioner’s side highlighted the significance of Netaji’s own daughter approaching the court for the return of his remains.

The court, however, has at this stage only sought a response from the Centre. No direction has been issued yet for the repatriation of the ashes.

Pfaff’s plea seeks government action regarding the remains attributed to Netaji and kept at Renkoji Temple in Tokyo. The petition comes after the Supreme Court had earlier indicated that she should approach the court herself if she wanted to pursue the matter.

Why Anita Bose Pfaff Approached the Supreme Court

The issue came before the Supreme Court in March 2026 through a petition filed by Ashish Ray, Netaji’s grandnephew, seeking the return of the remains from Japan.

A bench headed by CJI Surya Kant, with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, declined to entertain that petition after the court indicated that Netaji’s daughter, described in the proceedings as his direct heir, should approach the court herself. The petition was subsequently withdrawn.

Pfaff has now filed her own petition, bringing the issue back before the apex court.

The Long-Standing Mystery Over Netaji’s Remains

Subhas Chandra Bose disappeared in August 1945, with the official account holding that he died from injuries sustained in an aircraft crash in Taipei on August 18, 1945. According to this account, his remains were cremated and the ashes were subsequently taken to Japan and preserved at Renkoji Temple.

However, questions surrounding Netaji’s death and the identity of the ashes have continued for decades.

Several inquiries examined the circumstances of his reported death. The Shah Nawaz Committee and the Justice GD Khosla Commission accepted the plane-crash theory, while the Justice Mukherjee Commission, which submitted its report in 2005, did not accept that conclusion.

The government did not accept the Mukherjee Commission’s findings and has maintained, after considering the various inquiries, that Netaji died in the plane crash on August 18, 1945.

The latest Supreme Court proceedings therefore concern not only the proposed return of the remains but also the continuing historical debate over the identity of the ashes preserved at Renkoji Temple.

What happens next?

The Centre will now have an opportunity to place its position before the Supreme Court. The court’s notice marks the latest legal development in the long-running question of whether the remains attributed to Netaji and preserved in Japan should be brought back to India.

For now, the Supreme Court has only sought the Centre’s response and has not ordered the repatriation of the ashes.