New Delhi: The G20 dinner invitation from the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, has sparked controversy over the use of the term “Bharat” instead of “India.” While some argue that “Bharat” is the country’s official name according to the Indian constitution, others say that this is a way to promote a nationalist agenda.
So the main question is, What do Article 1 of the Constitution and the Supreme Court say about this?
According to Article 1 of the Constitution, “India, that is, Bharat, shall be a Union of States.” It’s crucial to emphasise that Article 1 of the Constitution recognises both ‘India’ and ‘Bharat’ as official names for the country.
The Supreme Court has also said that ‘India’ and ‘Bharat’ are the official names of the nation. This recognition ensures that both are acknowledged and respected within the legal framework of India.
The Supreme Court dismissed a PIL (public interest litigation) seeking a name change from ‘India’ to ‘Bharat,’ strongly objecting to the petition in March 2016. The then Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justice UU Lalit had told the petitioner that such pleas would not be entertained in the Supreme Court.
At that time, Justice Thakur had said, “Bharat or India? You want to call it Bharat, go right ahead. Someone wants to call it India; let them call it India”.
In 2020, the Supreme Court refused to entertain similar pleas seeking a name change from India to Bharat. At that time, the top court suggested that the plea could be converted into a representation and forwarded to the Union government for an appropriate decision.
The then Chief Justice of India, SA Bobde, stated, “Bharat and India are both names given in the Constitution. India is already called ‘Bharat’ in the Constitution”.
First debate over ‘Bharat’ or ‘India’
The first debate on Article 1 was scheduled to begin on November 17, 1948, but on the suggestion of Govind Ballabh Pant, the discussion over the name was postponed to a later date.
The final version of the provision was presented by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar to the House on September 17, 1949, and included both ‘Bharat’ and ‘India’. However, several members of the house expressed themselves against the use of ‘India’, citing it as a reminder of the colonial past.
While several others cited that India was a substitute for Bharat in the “English language”.
It must be noted that India is also called Bharat, Bharata, and Hindustan—its pre-colonial names—in Indian languages and are used interchangeably by the citizens and also used officially.
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