The Delhi High Court has granted the Centre additional time to respond to a plea urging the government to decide on a representation seeking an amendment to the Constitution to replace the name ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’ or ‘Hindustan’.
The petition was presented before Justice Sachin Datta on February 4, with the next hearing scheduled for March 12. The court acknowledged that the Centre’s counsel, appearing on advance notice, requested time to seek further instructions on the matter.
Originally, the petitioner had approached the Supreme Court, seeking a directive for the government to amend the Constitution. In 2020, the apex court had instructed that the petition be treated as a representation to be considered by the relevant ministries.
Since no update was provided regarding any decision, petitioner Namaha filed a fresh plea in the High Court, seeking a directive for the government to take action.
The plea argued that the name ‘India’ does not adequately represent the country’s cultural heritage and traditions. It asserted that adopting ‘Bharat’ as the official name would help citizens break free from the remnants of colonial influence.
The petition called for an amendment to Article 1 of the Constitution, which currently states “India, that is Bharat,” to instead define the nation as “Bharat/Hindustan, a Union of States.”
The petitioner also referred to the 1948 Constituent Assembly debates, highlighting that there was strong support even at that time for naming the country ‘Bharat’ or ‘Hindustan’.
The plea emphasized that, given the renaming of various cities to better reflect Indian heritage, the time was now appropriate to officially recognize the country by its original and culturally significant name.
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