Supreme Court Issues Notice To Centre On Plea By Netaji's Daughter For Return Of His Ashes From Japan

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday, August 11, issued notice to the Centre on a petition filed by Anita Bose Pfaff, daughter of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, seeking the return of her father's mortal remains from Japan to India.

A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, sought responses from the Union Ministries of External Affairs and Home Affairs on the plea.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared for Pfaff, according to reports.

Plea seeks repatriation of remains from Renkoji Temple

Pfaff has sought the repatriation of the ashes preserved at the Renkoji Temple in Tokyo, Japan, where they have reportedly remained since shortly after Bose's reported death in a plane crash in Taipei on August 18, 1945.

According to The Hindu, the remains attributed to Netaji were transported to Tokyo in early September 1945 and have since been preserved at the temple under the care of successive head priests for more than eight decades.

Pfaff, Netaji's only child and sole living direct heir, has maintained that her father died in the 1945 plane crash and that his remains should be brought back to India so that she can perform his final rites.

Pfaff calls for end to 'posthumous exile'

Pfaff, an economist based in Europe, has repeatedly urged the Indian government to facilitate the return of the remains. She has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue, according to reports.

She has described the continued preservation of the ashes in Japan as a form of prolonged "posthumous exile" and has argued that the matter should be resolved so that she can perform her father's last rites in India with dignity.

The latest plea alleges a prolonged failure on the government's part to take a final, reasoned and time-bound decision on the repatriation of the remains.

SC had earlier asked direct heir to approach court

The latest petition comes months after the Supreme Court dealt with a similar plea concerning Netaji's remains.

In March 2026, the Court declined to entertain a petition filed by Netaji's grand-nephew Ashish Ray, observing that Pfaff, as the direct heir, should approach the Court herself if she wanted the remains returned to India, according to The Indian Express.

Pfaff had supported the earlier petition while joining the proceedings virtually from Austria. The plea was subsequently withdrawn after the Court indicated that it would consider an appropriate petition filed by her.

Netaji's death remains a subject of debate

The question surrounding Netaji's disappearance and reported death in 1945 has remained controversial for decades.

While several official inquiries have supported the theory that Bose died following a plane crash in Taipei on August 18, 1945, theories that he survived the crash or lived elsewhere have continued to circulate.

The authenticity of the ashes preserved at Renkoji Temple has also been questioned by some family members and groups. Calls for scientific verification, including DNA testing, have been raised in the past.

According to The Hindu, legal and historical considerations, including a 1998 Calcutta High Court order, have also contributed to the complexity surrounding the government's decision on the remains.

Centre's response awaited

The Supreme Court's latest notice brings the long-running issue back before the Court, with the Centre now required to respond to Pfaff's plea.

The matter comes amid decades of public interest, visits by Indian leaders to Renkoji Temple and repeated appeals from Netaji's family for the issue to be brought to a final resolution.