Petition Seeks Delhi High Court’s Intervention to Rename India to Bharat/Hindustan, Citing Cultural Representation
(Judicial Quest News Network)
A petition has been filed before the Delhi High Court requesting a change in the country’s name from “India” to “Bharat” or “Hindustan.” The petitioner, Namaha, argues that the English name “India” fails to reflect the nation’s culture and heritage.
In the plea, the petitioner seeks directions to amend Article 1 of the Constitution of India, which currently reads, “India, that is Bharat,” to state “Bharat/Hindustan.” The petitioner claims that renaming the country would help citizens shed colonial influences, offering a more accurate representation of the nation’s identity.
This matter was first raised by Namaha in 2020 when the Supreme Court declined to entertain the petition but directed that it be treated as a representation to the Centre. In 2021, the petitioner filed an RTI application to check the status of the representation but received no satisfactory response, prompting the current writ petition in the Delhi High Court.
On February 4, 2025, Justice Sachin Datta deferred the hearing after the Central government’s lawyer sought more time to gather instructions from relevant authorities. The case has been posted for further consideration on March 12, 2025.
The petitioner, represented by Senior Advocate Sanjeev Sagar and Advocate Ashutosh Thakur, contends that changing the name to Bharat/Hindustan is necessary to preserve the nation’s values, culture, and traditions, which are not adequately reflected by the name “India.”
The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice, and the Secretary Generals of both Houses of Parliament are also parties to the petition.
The Central Government is represented by Standing Counsel Nidhi Raman, Arnav Mittal, Zubin Singh while advocates appeared on behalf of the Secretary Generals of the Rajya Sabha.
Advocate Pramod Gupta appeared for the Secretary General of Lok Sabha
This plea, filed under Section 226 of the Constitution, is being heard in the public interest and seeks to address the petitioner’s claim to invoke the fundamental rights of every citizen to identify their country as “Bharat.”
