The Orissa High Court has asked the state and Centre to file replies through affidavits on a petition seeking direction for declassification of transfer to power agreement of year 1947, including of intelligence bureau secret files regarding Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and acceptance of the Justice Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry report on mysterious disappearance of the great freedom fighter.
A Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Arindam Sinha and Justice M.S.Sahoo adjourned the matter to 12 February while hearing a petition on Wednesday by Pinakpani Mohanty, a resident of Odisha’s Cuttack district.
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The petitioner sought the High Court’s intervention for authorities to declare Netaji as a national son and, inter alia, his birthday to be observed as national day.
He also sought for the birthplace of Netaji at Cuttack city to be declared as a national museum.
Further, he prayed for direction for declassification of transfer to power agreement of 1947 including intelligence bureau secret files regarding Netaji and direction for acceptance of the Justice Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry report.
The petitioner further wrote to the Prime Minister, who referred it to the Home Ministry. The Home Ministry did not act to address his grievance in the representation, the petitioner maintained.
“We have not taken the memo on record because action/inaction of the Home Ministry may be a separate cause of action for the petitioner. The advocates representing the Union and State will be heard on adjourned date. They have leave to file an affidavit, if they will, to be accepted on adjourned date upon advance copy served”, the Division Bench stated in the order while posting the matter for further hearing on 12 February.
