The Supreme Court has decided to hear a petition seeking to rename India as Bharat or Hindustan. The court will hear the plea on Tuesday.
According to the Hindustan Times, the plea has sought a direction to the government to take appropriate steps to bring amendment in Article 1 of the Constitution, which deals with name and territory of the Union, to the effect that “the same refers to the country as Bharat/Hindustan, to the exclusion of India”.
The petitioner, Namah – a resident of Delhi, has sought to amend Article 1 of the Constitution, which names the country and defines its territories, India Today reported.
The petitioner says the name “India” is a “symbol of slavery” while seeking to recognise “Bharat” or “Hindustan” as the only name for the country.
According to the reports, the petitioner has quoted from the constituent assembly debates to support his arguments in favour of the name change. He has also referred to places whose names were changed over the years.
