Some time ago, a Delhi-based-man had filed a petition to amend the constitution and replace the word ‘India’ with “Bharat” or “Hindustan.” The plea claimed that this step will inculcate a sense of pride among citizens.
According to reports, The Supreme Court is all set to hear the matter on June 2.
The plea asks the government to take appropriate steps to amend Article 1 of the constitution that deals with the name and territory of the union in such a way that “the same refers to the country as Bharat/Hindustan, to the exclusion of India.”
The plea claimed that this step will help us get over our colonial past. It mentioned that during the 1948 Constituent assembly debate on Article 1 of the then draft constitution, there was a “strong wave” that favoured naming the country as “Bharat” or “Hindustan.” It states that:
The removal of the English name though appears symbolic, will instil a sense of pride in our own nationality, especially for the future generations to come. In fact, the word India being replaced with Bharat would justify the hard-fought freedom by our ancestors.
Even though the plea was listed for hearing this Friday before the apex court, due to the unavailability of Chief Justice of India, S.A. Bobde, it was deleted from the list.
But according to the recent notice uploaded on the Top Court website, the matter will be listed on June 2 before a bench headed by the CJI.
The plea claims that now that our cities are being renamed to “identify with the Indian ethos”, it’s the right time to reclaim our original name!
Well, only time will tell if we’ll officially be called ‘Bharatiye.’