Despite the criticisms leveled against Savarkar for his petitions, it’s worth noting that other prominent freedom fighters also resorted to filing petitions to secure their release from prison. The question then arises: do these individuals still qualify as bona fide freedom fighters in the eyes of woke left , despite having employed legal means to extricate themselves from confinement?

Starting this article with words of Dr. Vikram Sampath (biographer of Savarkar) :
“Ionically those who castigate Savarkar for the petitions advocate human rights and mercy petitions of Ajmal Kasab, Yakub Memon, Afzal Guru, and the Maoists and their intellectual fountainheads.”

Expanding on this article, I present a compilation of other freedom fighters who, in a similar manner, composed petitions or asked for mercy or an apology in order to secure their release from imprisonment.

Here is Mercy petition of @Javedakhtarjadu (Javed Akthar) great grandfather Maulavi Khairabadi

Link : https://archive.org/details/MaulviFazleHaqKhairabadi

Khairabadi had claimed that he is being falsely implicated and the person who actually committed the crime has the same name as his.

Bipin Chandra Pal :

Bipin Chandra pal (Congress leader and father of revolutionary thought) had asked for “mercy” And determined to give up all connections with Politics and public life .

Sachindra Nath Sanyal :

Sachindra Nath Sanyal wrote in his book ‘Bandhi Jeevan’ that he submitted a similar petition to that of Savarkar , but he was released while Savarkar was not.

SA Dange (CPI founder) , Nalini Gupta :

Amrit Dange, Nalini Gupta (both communist) convicted in Bolshevik Conspiracy case too wrote
petition saying that if they were released, they will not commit similar offense in future.




Many wrote petitions from cellular jail.
Some are following :

1) Hrishi Kesh Kanjilal
2) Barendra Kumar Ghose
3) Nand Gopal
4) Sudhir Kumar Sarkar

Source : Savarkar: A Contested Legacy , 1924-1966 by Vikram Sampath sir

200 Congressi get out of Jail after writing mercy petition

Source : Patel : A life by Raj mohan Gandhi

Here is list of more congressi who got out of Jail after writing Mercy Petition


Ramprasad Bismil :

Ramprasad Bismil mentioned about his mercy petition in his autobiography.
Rajendra Lahiri, Roshan Singh, Ashfaqulla Khan (convinced in Kakori case along with Ram Prasad Bismil ) :

Ram Prasad bismil too mentioned about petition submitted by Rajendra Lahiri, Roshan Singh, Ashfaqulla Khan.

Source : Ramprasad bismil ki Atmakatha

Gandhi :

Gandhi submitted ” Apologia ” to british govt upon releasing ‘ Quit India movement ‘
Source : National Archives

“Far from claiming any credit for achievements of 1942, both Gandhi and the Congress offered apology and explanation for the ‘madness’ which seized the people participating in it.”
— Historian RC Majumdar

Gandhi :

Young India (9-2-1921)
Gandhi’s apology to government and the readers for an article on East Africa
“ The language is needlessly offensive…. I offer this apology to the readers and the government”

Sushil Kumar Bhadra (forward block) :

He writes, “ Kindly order my immediate release ”

Bal Gangadhar Tilak :
Mercy petition of Bal Gangadhar Tilak in February 1912.

It states, “The petitioner appeals to mercy & prays that Government be pleased to remit the unexpired portion of the petitioner’s sentence”

However the petition was rejected and Tilak filed another petition in August 1912.
Source : source material for history of the freedom movement in India vol.2 pg 279

Lala Har Dayal :

12 OCT 1928 : Hardayal, Gadar party leader, amnesty rejected

Mercy petition of Amir Chand, Abad Behari, Basant Kumar Biswas and Bal Mokand in delhi lahore conspiracy case.


Nehru :

Nehru’s 2 week stay at Nabha Jail in 1923.He can’t withstand Harsh condition.His father run to viceroy signed a bond,secure Nehru’s release with a condition that he won’t enter Nabha again without permission.(16/n)

Source :TOWARD FREEDOM THE ATUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JL. NEHRU

V. O. Chidambaram Pillai (congress leader ) has written petitions to Madras govt, British Indian govt., & to the king expressing that he couldn’t bear and tolerate inhumane treatment caused to him in prison.
This is from (biography) on V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and his prison life has been written by R. Dhanabal (assistant prof in History, govt. Arts college for women, Salem, Tamil Nadu)
Link : https://issuu.com/tjprc/docs/2ijeefusjun20192

Congress Leader and freedom fighter C. Subramania Bharati wrote a petition in about one week of arrest.

His words: “I have renounced every form of politics, I shall ever be loyal to the British Government and law abiding… May God grant your Excellency a long and happy life.”


Petition of release from Bagh Ali Khan ( Detained in Andaman Cellular Jail)




Rajendra Nath Lahiri :

This is about mercy petition of Revolutionary Rajendra Nath Lahiri ( convinced in Kakori Case )

Source: Remember Us Once In a while letters of martyrs

Congress speaker arrested in Yootmal district under defense rule 129 released after his written apology

Pir Mahbub Shah :

Pir Mahbub shah wrote a petition and offered an apology for his seditious speech given at Tando muhammad khan, Hyderabad (Sindh)

Many were arrested on charges of sedition.They apologized & came out of jail
Ex:
1)Sarado and Hari Charan ( charged under section 124A (sedition))
offered an apology and got released
2)Ganeshi Lal was prosecuted for sedition in 1909 & the case was withdrawn on his apology

Syed Mahmud (then CWC member):

During Quit India movement,CWC was jailed & Syed Mahmud apologized, stating that he was never in favor of the movement .He writes,”CONGRESS OWES ITS EXISTENCE TO SOME ENGLISHMEN SO IT SHOULD STAND BY THEM IN THIS HOUR”


Bhagat Singh’s father to secure Bhagat Singh release

As Mentioned by Ambedkar in his article “Three Victims” in Janata newspaper on 13 April 1931, Bhagat Singh’s father Sent mercy petition to viceroy telling not to hang Bhagat Singh.

Source : The Ambedkarite today

The point of sharing such petitions is not to bring any disgrace to the legacy of our freedom fighters but to prove writing such petitions were common to get out of jail

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