Saturday, June 6, 2020

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.

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