Focus: GS-I Governance, Polity
Why in news?
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on June 2 a petition that says the nation should be called by one name, be it ‘Bharat’, ‘India’ or the ‘Republic of India’.
Details
A Bench led by Justice A.S. Bopanna will hear the petition saying “the name of India should be one”.
In the Past regarding the Name of the Country
- In 2016, the apex court dismissed a petition.
- Then Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur had orally remarked that every Indian had the right to choose between calling his country ‘Bharat’ and ‘India’ and the Supreme Court had no business to either dictate or decide for a citizen what he should call his country.
More about the Name of India
- The country of India has significantly been called by many names including “India”, “Bharat” or “Bharatvarsh”, or “Hind” or “Hindustan”.
- “Bhārät”, the name for India in several Indian languages, is variously said to be derived from the name of either Dushyanta’s son Bharata or Rishabha’s son Bharata.
- The name “India” is originally derived from the name of the river Sindhu (Indus River) and has been in use in Persian and Greek since Herodotus (5th century BCE).
Constituent Assembly and the Name
- The constituent assembly adopted two names, India and Bharat for the country after Independence.
- The British called India “India”. Before them, the Mughals, the biggest empire in India, called it Hindustan.
- After an intense debate, the Constitution adopted two names for the country, India and Bharat.
- Article 1 (1) of the Constitution reads, India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.
-Source: The Hindu
