Hearing a petition seeking to amend the Constitution and change the name of the country from India to Bharat, Chief Justice of India S.A. Bobde told the petitioner on Wednesday that India is already called Bharat in the Constitution.
According to Hindustan Times, the SC declined to entertain the plea and said the petition could be considered as a representation to the government.
The SC bench headed by the CJI and Justices AS Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy asked the petitioner’s counsel why he was there when the country was already called Bharat in the constitution.
Advocate Ashwin Vaish, appearing for the Delhi-based petitioner argued that India was derived from the Greek work Indica and the English name did not represent the culture and tradition of the country.
The removal of the English name though appears symbolic, will instil a sense of pride in our nationality, especially for the future generations. In fact, the word India being replaced with Bharat would justify the hard-fought freedom achieved by our ancestors.
-The Petitioner
He also argued that the time is ripe to recognise the country by its original name, especially when the cities had been renamed in accordance with Indian ethos.
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