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Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination on January 30, 1948, was one of independent India’s most shocking criminal cases. The trial court verdict delivered on February 10, 1949, shed light on the failure of the police to prevent the assassination despite having received critical intelligence. The presiding judge strongly criticized the authorities for their inefficiency in acting on specific warnings that could have averted the tragedy.
First Assassination Attempt At Mahatma Gandhi
The court detailed how the conspirators, including Nathuram Godse, Narayan Apte, and others, had initially attempted to kill Mahatma Gandhi on January 20, 1948, at Birla House in Delhi. Their plan involved setting off a guncotton explosion as a diversion while a shooter fired at Gandhi.
Punjabi refugee Madanlal K. Pahwa was responsible for triggering the explosion to cause chaos among the crowd. Meanwhile, Digambar R. Badge, an illegal arms dealer who later turned approver, was supposed to shoot Gandhi and throw a grenade. However, Badge hesitated at the last moment, fearing capture. Pahwa carried out the explosion, but he was quickly apprehended by the public, while the other conspirators fled the scene.
Trial Records: Intelligence Alerts Ignored
The trial records revealed that intelligence warnings had been provided to authorities, but they failed to act effectively. On January 21, 1948, J.C. Jain, a professor from Ruia College in Bombay, met Premier B.G. Kher and the Home Minister, revealing that Pahwa had spoken about an assassination plot. Jain admitted that he had not taken the matter seriously at first, assuming it to be mere frustration expressed by a refugee. However, he decided to report it after reading about the failed assassination attempt.
Jain also named Vishnu R. Karkare as one of the conspirators. The Home Minister immediately informed J.D. Nagarvala from the Intelligence Branch and directed him to investigate and arrest Karkare. Despite these alerts, no preventive action was taken, and the conspirators regrouped to carry out the assassination ten days later.
Judge’s Strong Criticism of Police Failure In Mahatma Gandhi’s Assassination
The court observed that both Delhi and Bombay police had access to crucial information from Pahwa’s interrogation and Jain’s statement, yet they failed to take necessary action.
“The police miserably failed to derive any advantage from these two statements. Had the slightest keenness been shown in the investigation of the case at that stage, the tragedy probably could have been averted,” the special judge stated in his verdict at the Red Fort trial.
Even after the botched January 20 attempt, the conspirators continued their plans without fear of being caught. Eventually, on January 30, 1948, at the same location—Birla House—Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated.
Godse’s Air India Travel to Execute Gandhi’s Assassination
The prosecution presented evidence that Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte had traveled from Bombay to Delhi using Air India flights for both the failed attempt and the successful assassination. The police submitted air tickets and reservation slips showing that Apte booked tickets on January 15, 1948, under false names—D.N. Karmarkar and S. Marahte—for travel on January 17.
Apte denied booking tickets under fake names, claiming he had purchased them from a passenger who canceled his tickets. However, the court dismissed his claim, noting that the reservation slip listed the address of both passengers as “Room No. 6, Sea Green Hotel,” which was where Apte and Godse were staying at the time.
After the failed attempt on January 20, the duo returned to Bombay and again flew to Delhi on January 27, this time using different aliases—D. Narayan and N. Vinayakrao. From Delhi, they traveled to Gwalior to meet Dr. Dattatraya Parchure, who helped them obtain the automatic pistol used in the assassination.
Godse’s Confession: He Couldn’t Recall How Many Shots He Fired At Gandhi
During the trial, Godse openly admitted to shooting Mahatma Gandhi. He stated:
“Yes, it is a fact that I did fire shots at Mahatma Gandhi with the pistol (Exhibit 39). The story as told by the various eyewitnesses up to the stage when Mahatma Gandhi stepped up the prayer ground is correct. I jumped out and came in front of Mahatma Gandhi. My idea was to shoot at him twice at point-blank range so that none else might get injured.”
He further recalled, “I bowed to him with the pistol between my two palms. I had removed the safety catch when I had taken out the pistol from inside my bush coat pocket. I think I fired twice. I, however, learnt that I had fired thrice. After I had fired the shots, there was a lull throughout for about a minute. I had also got excited. I then shouted ‘Police, police. Come.’ Amarnath then came and caught hold of me from behind.”
Godse recounted how he was beaten by the crowd and how a constable took him into custody:
“A gentleman struck me on the back of my head with his stick. When he had given me two to three blows with his stick, then blood began coming out of my head.”
He also stated that he had no intention of resisting arrest, saying:
“I told him that I was not going to offer resistance even if he happened to break my skull. I had already done what I wanted to do.”
Despite his claims that the murder was an individual act, the court dismissed his defense, citing overwhelming evidence of a wider conspiracy.
Savarkar Acquitted Due to Lack of Evidence
Eight people were charged in the case, including Nathuram Godse, Narayan Apte, Vishnu Karkare, Madanlal Pahwa, Shankar Kistayya, Gopal Godse, Vinayak D. Savarkar, and Dattatraya Parchure. Three other suspects remained absconding.
However, Vinayak D. Savarkar was acquitted due to lack of corroborative evidence. The only evidence linking him to the conspiracy was the statement of the approver, which the court deemed unreliable.
“It would thus be unsafe to base any conclusions on the approver’s story given above as against Vinayak D. Savarkar… He is found not guilty of the offences as specified in the charge and is acquitted and be released forthwith unless required otherwise,” the judge ruled.
Outcome Of The Mahatma Gandhi Assassination Case
Summarizing the case, Special Judge Atma Charan strongly criticized the lack of urgency in police investigations between the first failed attempt on January 20 and the successful assassination on January 30. He noted that then-Home Minister Morarji Desai had been informed of the conspiracy immediately after the failed attempt, yet no effective measures were taken to protect Mahatma Gandhi.
This historic trial not only led to the conviction of the key conspirators but also exposed the significant lapses in law enforcement that failed to prevent the tragic death of India’s most revered leader.
