UP Govt’s Judicial Panel to Probe Identity of ‘Gumnaami Baba’

Gumnaami Baba is believed by many to be Subhash Chandra Bose in disguise.

Subhas Chandra Bose(left) and Laldhari Baba (right). (Photo Courtesy: The News Minute)

A one-member judicial commission has been set up to probe the identity of ‘Gumnaami Baba’, considered by many as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in disguise.

A government official has said that the commission will have its main office in Lucknow and camp office in Faizabad.

Justice (retd) Vishnu Sahai will head the one-man commission, which is to submit its report in six months. The panel was set up after an Allahabad High Court order.

Government Official, Uttar Pradesh

‘Gumnaami Baba’ is believed to have lived in Faizabad, UP, till 1985. Interestingly, the high court in 2013 had called ‘Gumnaami Baba’ “an extraordinary person” and directed the government to set up a panel to end the controversy about his identity.

Baba, according to reports, had spent the last 10 years of his life in Ayodhya and Faizabad, and during his lifetime people believed he was none other than Netaji himself.

After his death in 1985, Netaji’s niece Lalita Bose and Faizabad-based Subhas Chandra Bose Vichaar Manch moved court to ascertain his identity and protect his legacy.

The court had ordered that a memorial be constructed in three months to house articles left by Baba. It had also ordered the setting up of a judicial commission.

(Photo: The Quint)

On Wednesday, the Central government also declassified the fifth batch files relating to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose through the Ministry of Culture-handled web portal.

The present batch of 25 files consists of two files from the PMO (1951 to 1953), 14 files from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) (1956-2008) and nine files of the Cabinet Secretariat (1956 to 2006), running into 2248 pages.

(With PTI and ANI inputs.)