To Change India’s Name to Bharat

The Supreme Court of India recently ordered to change a plea that requested to change India’s name into Bharat into a representation. The apex court also ordered to forward it to the Union Government, especially the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Highlights

The petition that was submitted to the court seeks to amend Article 1 of the Constitution. The petition demands to struck off ‘India’ from the Article.

Article 1

Article 1 says “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States”. India is already called Bharat according to the Constitution.

Why was the petition filed?

According to the petitioner, the name India is of foreign origin. It can be traced back to Greece language “Indica”. On the other hand, the name Bharat is closely associated with freedom struggle and the cry “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.

Hence, changing the name will make sure citizens will get over the colonial past.

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court had earlier dismissed similar petition in 2016. According to the Apex Court judgement, the name India is derived from the Indus river. Also, the court pronounced that every citizen had his right to choose between calling his country India or Bharat.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2020