Trial for Central Assembly Bomb Case commences

On May 7, 1929, the formal trial for the Central Assembly Bomb Case commenced in Delhi following the dramatic arrest of Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt on April 8. The two young revolutionaries had thrown two low-intensity, non-lethal smoke bombs into the empty spaces of the Central Legislative Assembly in New Delhi while distributing leaflets. Their intention was not to cause physical harm or loss of life, but to protest the authoritarian Public Safety Bill and Trade Disputes Bill passed by the colonial government. Rather than attempting an escape after the act, they stood their ground, shouted revolutionary slogans, and deliberately surrendered to British authorities to turn the court proceedings into a public platform for their message.

The judicial proceedings took place in the court of Special Magistrate M.B. Pool in Delhi. As Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt entered the courtroom on the opening day, they startled court officials, guards, and spectators by shouting 'Inquilab Zindabad!' (Long Live the Revolution) and 'Samrajyavad Ka Nash Ho!' (Down with Imperialism). Prominent nationalist lawyer Asaf Ali led the defense team, though Bhagat Singh actively drafted and directed the defense strategy. The colonial prosecution sought to prosecute them severely under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code for attempted murder and various sections of the Explosive Substances Act, attempting to frame the revolutionaries as violent, unguided terrorists.

During the trial, Bhagat Singh and Dutt presented a powerful joint written statement read in court on June 6, 1929. In this text, they articulated the socialist philosophy of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), famously stating that their action was intended 'to make the deaf hear.' They defined revolution not as a reign of bloody terror, but as a systematic restructuring of society to end the exploitation of man by man. The trial transformed Bhagat Singh from a hidden underground revolutionary into an icon of Indian youth, capturing national headlines and establishing the courtroom as a primary battleground against colonial rule.