Sardar Bhagat Singh ji : Trial For the Saunders Murder & Death sentence and Execution

6. Trial For the Saunders Murder & Death sentence and Execution

Shortly after his arrest and trial for the Assembly bombing, the British came to know of his involvement in the murder of J. P. Saunders. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were charged with the murder. Bhagat Singh decided to use the court as a tool to publicize his cause for the independence of India. He admitted to the murder and made statements against the British rule during the trial. The case was ordered to be carried out without Bhagat Singh and his comrades present at the hearing. This created an uproar amongst Singh's supporters as he could no longer publicise his views. On the 7th October, 1930 the day the sentence was pronounced by the Special Tribunal, Bhagat Singh was not present in the court. Therefore to read you the sentence, the State advocate along with the Superintendent came to the barracks in the jail where Bhagat Singh and his co-workers were sitting. Addressing Bhagat Singh, he said "Sardar Bhagat Singh, very sorry the court has awarded you the death sentence". To which Bhagat Singh replied, "there is no need to feel sorry, and quoted Bhagat Kabir"

Jis marne te jag dare, mere man anand. Marne te hi paye pooran parmanand.

Then the superintendent asked Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Raj Guru to move to Cell No 14. Cell No 14 in the Central Jail, Lahore, was the one where the prisoners sentence to death were kept till their hanging. The prisoners were to stay in that cell day and night. After the pronouncement of death sentence, the legal battle was not over. The Defence Council, which was composed of prominent public men, including leaders like Lala Dhuni Chanda and Dr Gopi Chand, this Council decided that a petition for leave to appeal be sent to Privy Council. Accordingly, it applied to the Privy Council for leave to appeal with a view first, to challenging the legality of the Ordinance, and secondly, to spread the knowledge of india's fight for freedom in countries abroad. On the 10th February, 1931, that petition was rejected by the Privy Coucil. The rejection could not damp the enthusiasm of the people and their leaders. on the 14th February, 1931, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya submitted an appeal to the Viceroy, requesting him to use his prerogative of mercy in commuting the sentences to transportation for life on the grounds of humanity. On 16th February, 1931, Messrs Jiwan Lal. Baljit and Sham Lall moved a writ of Habeas Corpus in the High Court challenging the legality of their detention and proposed execution of the death sentences on the grounds that the original date of execution (some time in October 1930) having passed and the Tribunal had ceased to exist. But that writ was turned down on the 20th February, 1931.

Mahatma Gandhi also raised the question commutation of the death sentences of Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru and Sukhdev with Lord Irwin, the then Viceroy of India, during their conversation in February and March 1931. The Viceroy, however, did not agree, though he had the right to commute the sentences. He expressed his inability to help, Mahatma Gandhi did not make it a condition of the settlement, though he could have done it. He felt that it was not in the larger interests of the country. In that connection, Gandhi himself wrote in his Young India, "I might have made the commutation a term of the settlement. It could not be so made. The Working Committee had agreed with me in not making the commutation a condition precedent to truce. I could, therefore, only mention it. "It shows that if the Mahatma Gandhi had wished, he could have insisted and got their commutation agreed to. But a leader who could go to the extent of stating to the Viceroy, that " if the boys should be hanged, they had better be hanged before the Congress (Karachi) Session, than after it", could hardly be expected to secure the commutation of the death sentences of Bhagat Singh and his comrades. It will not be out of place to mention here that Mahatma Gandhi even refused to co-operate with the prominent leaders in the matter of raising a memorial to the three after their execution. On being approached by the All India Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru and Sukhdev Memorial Committee, Lahore to assist in raising a memorial to those three national heros, he replied to the General Secretary of the Committee,: On March 23, 1931 Bhagat Singh was hanged in Lahore with his fellow comrades Rajguru and Sukhdev. His supporters, who had been protesting against the hanging, immediately declared him as a shaheed or martyr. Singh was cremated at Hussainiwala on banks of Sutlej river. Today, the Bhagat Singh Memorial commemorates freedom fighters of India.





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				6. Trial For the Saunders Murder & Death sentence and Execution Shortly after his arrest and trial for the Assembly bombing, the British came to know of his involvement in the murder of J. P. Saunders. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were charged with the murder. Bhagat Singh decided to use the court as a tool to publicize his cause for the independence of India. He admitted to the murder and made statements against the British rule during the trial. The case was ordered to be carried out without Bhagat Singh and his comrades present at the hearing. This created an uproar amongst Singh's supporters as he could no longer publicise his views. On the 7th October, 1930 the day the sentence was pronounced by the Special Tribunal, Bhagat Singh was not present in the court. Therefore to read you the sentence, the State advocate along with the Superintendent came to the barracks in the jail where Bhagat Singh and his co-workers were sitting. Addressing Bhagat Singh, he said "Sardar Bhagat Singh, very sorry the court has awarded you the death sentence". To which Bhagat Singh replied, "there is no need to feel sorry, and quoted Bhagat Kabir" Jis marne te jag dare, mere man anand. Marne te hi paye pooran parmanand. Then the superintendent asked Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Raj Guru to move to Cell No 14. Cell No 14 in the Central Jail, Lahore, was the one where the prisoners sentence to death were kept till their hanging. The prisoners were to stay in that cell day and night. After the pronouncement of death sentence, the legal battle was not over. The Defence Council, which was composed of prominent public men, including leaders like Lala Dhuni Chanda and Dr Gopi Chand, this Council decided that a petition for leave to appeal be sent to Privy Council. Accordingly, it applied to the Privy Council for leave to appeal with a view first, to challenging the legality of the Ordinance, and secondly, to spread the knowledge of india's fight for freedom in countries abroad. On the 10th February, 1931, that petition was rejected by the Privy Coucil. The rejection could not damp the enthusiasm of the people and their leaders. on the 14th February, 1931, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya submitted an appeal to the Viceroy, requesting him to use his prerogative of mercy in commuting the sentences to transportation for life on the grounds of humanity. On 16th February, 1931, Messrs Jiwan Lal. Baljit and Sham Lall moved a writ of Habeas Corpus in the High Court challenging the legality of their detention and proposed execution of the death sentences on the grounds that the original date of execution (some time in October 1930) having passed and the Tribunal had ceased to exist. But that writ was turned down on the 20th February, 1931. Mahatma Gandhi also raised the question commutation of the death sentences of Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru and Sukhdev with Lord Irwin, the then Viceroy of India, during their conversation in February and March 1931. The Viceroy, however, did not agree, though he had the right to commute the sentences. He expressed his inability to help, Mahatma Gandhi did not make it a condition of the settlement, though he could have done it. He felt that it was not in the larger interests of the country. In that connection, Gandhi himself wrote in his Young India, "I might have made the commutation a term of the settlement. It could not be so made. The Working Committee had agreed with me in not making the commutation a condition precedent to truce. I could, therefore, only mention it. "It shows that if the Mahatma Gandhi had wished, he could have insisted and got their commutation agreed to. But a leader who could go to the extent of stating to the Viceroy, that " if the boys should be hanged, they had better be hanged before the Congress (Karachi) Session, than after it", could hardly be expected to secure the commutation of the death sentences of Bhagat Singh and his comrades. It will not be out of place to mention here that Mahatma Gandhi even refused to co-operate with the prominent leaders in the matter of raising a memorial to the three after their execution. On being approached by the All India Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru and Sukhdev Memorial Committee, Lahore to assist in raising a memorial to those three national heros, he replied to the General Secretary of the Committee,: On March 23, 1931 Bhagat Singh was hanged in Lahore with his fellow comrades Rajguru and Sukhdev. His supporters, who had been protesting against the hanging, immediately declared him as a shaheed or martyr. Singh was cremated at Hussainiwala on banks of Sutlej river. Today, the Bhagat Singh Memorial commemorates freedom fighters of India.

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