Petitioner withdraws plea seeking constitutional amendment to rename India as Bharat/ Hindustan

NEW DELHI: A petitioner who had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking an amendment to Article I of the Indian Constitution to rename “India” as “Bharat” or “Hindustan” has withdrawn the plea.

The petition sought a directive to change the current phrasing, “India, that is Bharat,” to “Bharat/Hindustan as a Union of States.”

The petitioner withdrew the plea with the liberty to pursue the matter with the concerned Ministry, in line with a previous order passed by the Supreme Court on June 3, 2020, in a similar case.

Justice Sachin Datta dismissed the PIL as withdrawn after the petitioner sought permission to do so.

“In view of the aforesaid, the present petition stands dismissed as withdrawn,” Justice Datta ordered on March 12. However, the bench directed compliance with the Supreme Court’s order on the matter.

“Needless to say, learned standing counsel for the Union of India shall appropriately convey to the concerned Ministries for expeditious compliance of the order(s) passed by the Supreme Court,” Justice Datta stated in the order.

The plea, filed by a trust named Namaha, sought a directive to the Union Government to address the issue. This follows the 2020 Supreme Court decision, which refused to entertain a similar petition for renaming the country but directed that the plea be treated as a representation.

The plea had argued that the English name “India” does not accurately represent the culture and traditions of the country. It stated that renaming the country as “Bharat” would help citizens shed colonial baggage.

It also cited the recent use of “President of Bharat” instead of “President of India” on official G20 dinner invitations as an example, asserting that the government would not face any difficulty in determining the applicant’s representation. (ANI)