The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a public interest litigation (PIL) case brought by BJP leader and counsel Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking the renaming of historical places and cities which he said are currently named after ‘invaders’.
A bench of Justices K M Joseph and BV Nagarathna dismissed the PIL filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay and rejected his request to withdraw the petition, despite his continued assertion that there was not a single place in Delhi —- formerly known as ‘Indraprasth’ —- named after characters from ‘Mahabharat’.
“This is a secular forum because India is a secular country. We are supposed to defend the Constitution and all of its sections. You want to re-agitate things that should be buried without causing dissatisfaction “The bench informed Upadhyay.
The petitioner was also referred to the Supreme Court “naming” a specific community in his PIL, saying, “Don’t dig up the past, which will only create disharmony. We can’t have the country on fire.” “Hinduism is more than a religion; it is a way of life. We have absorbed all cultures. Let us not divide it with such petitions. Consider the country as well as religion “The bench went on to tell him more.
A bench of Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna chastised the petitioner for what it saw as a petition that violated the secular foundations of the Constitution.
The Court concluded that the petitioner is preferentially reassessing the past and takes issue with classifying an entire culture as ‘barbaric’.
The bench stated that Hinduism is a wonderful religion that does not tolerate bigotry.
According to Justice Nagarathna, the country is dealing with a number of other issues that must be addressed first.
Very good judgement by #SupremeCourtOfIndia ! Good governance means progress, not changing names, going back to a past. India must look at a bright future, not revisit historical ills. That’s why smart minds just leave the country & unemployed join the hatred brigade. pic.twitter.com/8z4QRC2oPt
— Deepika Pushkar Nath (@DeepikaSRajawat) February 28, 2023
Alternatively, the PIL requested that the court direct the Archaeological Survey of India to research and publish the original names of ancient historical and cultural religious sites that were renamed by “barbaric foreign invaders” in order to secure the Right to Information guaranteed by the Constitution.
“We are celebrating our 75th anniversary of independence, but there are many ancient historical cultural religious places named after brutal foreign invaders, their servants, and family members,” the PIL stated.
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The judges also emphasised the British divide-and-rule strategy for keeping Indians fighting amongst themselves.
The Supreme Court has previously established that India is a secular republic and that a nation cannot remain a prisoner of its past, according to the Court.
The Court, on the other hand, stated today that, while India has been conquered numerous times, it cannot be erased from history by renaming locations.
“Constitutional protection cannot be afforded to invaders,” Upadhyay stated.
“Hindus were wiped out from Afghanistan, where they were a minority in nine states. “From what I understand, this Constitution is not for foreign barbaric invaders,” he added.
According to the bench, the principle of brotherhood should take precedence over all else.
