UPSC CSE Prelims
Revolutionary Organizations Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 4 — Officers of the Indian National Army

Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sehgal, and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon were senior officers of the Indian National Army (INA), also known as the Azad Hind Fauj, led by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. They are famously remembered for the historic Red Fort Trials (INA Trials) of 1945-46, where they were court-martialed by the British for 'waging war against the King-Emperor'. The trials sparked massive nationalist demonstrations across India and became a turning point in India's freedom struggle, with the Indian National Congress organizing an INA Defence Committee comprising legal luminaries like Bhulabhai Desai, Tej Bahadur Sapru, and Jawaharlal Nehru to defend them.

📝 Short Notes: Red Fort Trials and INA

• Indian National Army (INA): Formed in 1942 by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose from Indian prisoners of war and expatriates in Southeast Asia to fight British rule.
• Red Fort Trials (November 1945 - May 1946): Court-martial of INA officers at Red Fort, Delhi. The first trial featured three officers representing different communities - Shah Nawaz Khan (Muslim), Prem Kumar Sehgal (Hindu), and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon (Sikh).
• Charges: Waging war against the King-Emperor, murder, and abetment of murder.
• Public Response: Massive demonstrations, strikes, and protests across India; united Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs in nationalist fervor.
• Defence Committee: Led by Bhulabhai Desai; included Tej Bahadur Sapru, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Kailash Nath Katju.
• Outcome: All three were sentenced to deportation for life, but the Commander-in-Chief remitted the sentences due to public pressure. The trials accelerated British decision to leave India.
• Legacy: The INA trials demonstrated that the British could no longer rely on Indian armed forces' loyalty and significantly contributed to the independence movement.

Detailed Explanation:

✅ Statement 1 – Correct: Annie Besant founded the Home Rule League in September 1916 in Madras, demanding self-government for India within the British Empire, alongside Tilak's Home Rule League (April 1916).

❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: The Theosophical Society was founded in 1875 in New York by Madame H.P. Blavatsky and Colonel H.S. Olcott. Annie Besant became its President in 1907 but was not the founder.

✅ Statement 3 – Correct: Annie Besant was elected President of the Indian National Congress at the Calcutta Session in 1917, becoming the first woman to hold this position.