The Delhi High Court has deferred consideration of a petition seeking to replace ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’ or ‘Hindustan’ in the Constitution, now scheduled for a March 12 hearing.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has granted time to the Centre’s counsel to obtain instructions regarding a plea seeking the replacement of the word ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’ or ‘Hindustan’ in the Constitution. The matter was heard by Justice Sachin Datta on February 4, and the court has listed it for further hearing on March 12.
“At the outset, counsel for the respondent nos. 1 and 4 (Centre) who appears on advance notice seeks some time to take instructions,”
the court stated.
The petitioner, Namaha, initially approached the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the government to amend the Constitution and replace ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’ or ‘Hindustan’.
However, in 2020, the Supreme Court directed that the petition be treated as a representation and asked the appropriate ministries to consider the matter.
Following no response from the government, the petitioner moved the Delhi High Court, arguing that the authorities had failed to decide on his representation.
“The petitioner is left with no option but to approach this court, by way of the present petition as there is no update from the respondents about any decision taken on the representation of the petitioner,”
the plea stated.
The petition argues that the English name ‘India’ does not represent the culture and traditions of the country and that renaming it ‘Bharat’ would help citizens shed their colonial baggage.
It seeks an amendment to Article 1 of the Constitution, which defines the name and territory of the Union.
Currently, Article 1 states, “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.” The petition demands it be changed to “Bharat/Hindustan as a Union of States.”
The plea references the 1948 Constituent Assembly debates on Article 1, highlighting that even at that time, there was a strong movement in favor of naming the country ‘Bharat’ or ‘Hindustan’.
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“However, now the time is ripe to recognise the country by its original and authentic name i.e. Bharat especially when our cities have been renamed to identify with the Indian ethos,”
the petition argues.
With the Delhi High Court granting the Centre additional time, all eyes are now on the March 12 hearing, where further developments in the case are expected. The case could potentially reshape the country’s official name, bringing back historical and cultural significance to the forefront of the national identity debate.
CASE TITLE – Namaha vs Union Of India & Ors.
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