His father was descended from the Boses of Mahinagar (South 24 Parganas) while his mother Prabhabati Devi was part of the famous Dutta family of Hatkhola in north Kolkata.

He began a successful legal practice upon his return to India, but later abandoned it to join the Indian independence movement.

Sarat Bose was arrested after the escape of Subhas the day before he was due to join as Cabinet Minister in the Fazlul Haq government.

He strongly supported the formation of the Indian National Army by Subhash Chandra Bose and actively participated in the Quit India movement.

In 1946, he was appointed Member of the Interim Government for Works, Mines and Powers – the position of a minister in a national executive council led by Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and presided over by the Viceroy of India.

However, Bose resigned from the AICC in disagreement over the Cabinet Mission Plan's call to partition Bengal between Hindu-majority and Muslim-majority regions.

His elder grandson, Sugata Bose, is a Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs at Harvard University and a former member of the Lok Sabha.