The investigation and trial of the case lasted for the next 2 years. A total of 12 people were indicted on charges of attempted murder and murder. In the end, 9 suspects including Godse, Narayan Apte, Vishnu Karkare, Digambar Badge, Madanlal Pahwa, Shankar Kistayya, Gopal Godse, Vinayak Savarkar and Dattatraya Parchure had to appear in court, while the remaining 3 suspects absconded.
The trial took place at the Special Court at Red Fort, New Delhi. After hearing the indictment and charges read, Godse requested to defend himself and the judge approved. However, the surprising thing was that he refused to provide evidence to defend himself, instead reading a 92-page statement, affirming that he alone was responsible for the entire assassination of Mr. Gandhi.
During nine hours in court, Godse attacked Mr. Gandhi’s principles and values. He said that Mr. Gandhi’s non-violent movement was “part of a plot to cause Hindus to be massacred by Muslims”. Godse showed no remorse for killing the “Great Soul” of India. The application for amnesty was also submitted by his family.
Finally, the court sentenced Godse and his accomplice Apte to death. These two men were hanged at Ambala prison on November 15, 1949.
However, India’s law enforcement forces have faced criticism because many believe that Mr. Gandhi’s assassination could still have been prevented if previous attacks on him had been thoroughly investigated.
In fact, 10 days before the assassination, on the evening of January 20, 1948, there was an explosion near the fence of the Birla building, where Mr. Gandhi stayed and held prayer meetings. Initially, the authorities thought the incident did not target Mr. Gandhi because the bomb exploded more than 45 meters from where he sat.
The perpetrator of the explosion was Madanlal Pahwa, a Hindu refugee from Pakistan. Although he claimed to have had an accomplice in the failed plot and escape, the police did not pay attention to this detail and could not arrest him. Later, investigators discovered that the explosion was part of a plot to murder Mr. Gandhi and that Godse was one of Pahwa’s accomplices who “ran high and far away” before attacking a second time.
Thuy Quynh