Did a Muslim lawyer fight the case of Bhagat Singh against the British govt? A fact-check

September 28 is celebrated as a day to mark the birth anniversary of revolutionary Indian freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, a leader whose rebellious attitude and daredevilry in confronting the British repression inspired a generation of young Indians and infused fresh energy in India’s independence movement. Social media websites are awash with claims that a Muslim lawyer, namely Asaf Ali, who was also a prominent Congress member during that time, fought the case in the court defending Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt in the court case after they had hurled bombs inside the Central Legislative Assembly in New Delhi to protest against unfavourable Bills. Many graphic posters and ‘forwarded’ messages from social media to WhatsApp groups claim that the ‘Brahmin’ lawyer who fought the case on behalf of the British to get Bhagat Singh hanged is one Rai Bahadur Suryanarayana Sharma, who was a close friend of Hedgewar, the founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and also a member of the RSS. The Crown was represented by Rai Bahadur Suryanarayan Sharma.#BhagatSingh — Mini Nair September 29, 2020 The trial of Bhagat Singh Public Prosecutor: Rai Bahadur Suryanarayan Defendant’s lawyer: Asaf Ali of Congress Another reason to support Congress and promote secularism.🥰 — Papri Banerjee September 28, 2020 Such messages about Rai Bahadur Suryanarayana Sharma are being widely shared on Twitter. According to a report published in ‘The Hindu’, lawyer Asaf Ali represented Batukeshwar Dutt and Bhagat Singh fought the case on his own with a help of a legal advisor.