The Supreme Court today while disposing petition directed petitioner to make a representation before the appropriate ministry on his plea which sought directions for amendment of Article 1 of the Constitution and replacement of the word ‘India’ with “Bharat” to instill a sense of pride in our own nationality.
A three-judge bench comprising the Chief Justice SA Bobde, Justice AS Bopanna and Justice Hrishikesh Roy was hearing a petition filed by Namah, seeking enforcement of the fundamental rights under Article 21 of the Constitution which entitles every citizen the equal right to call his or her own country as Bharat.
Advocate Ashwin Vaish appearing for the petitioner today submitted that the word India has been derived from the Greek word “Indica” which is not of Indian origin.
The petitioner has submitted that the Union Government has failed to do away with the symbol of slavery by using the name ‘India’ instead of Bharat or Hindustan. This has lead to the loss of identity and ethos “as inheritors of the hard worn freedom from foreign rule.”
The petitioner has further submitted that since in the past many representations were made to rename India with Bharat, however no action has been taken so far. Since there being no effective alternate remedy to redress the grievance, the petitioner approached the Apex court.
-India Legal Bureau