'A Country Can't Remain Prisoner Of Past' : Supreme Court Dismisses Plea To Rename Cities Named After Muslim Rulers; Stresses On India's Secular Chara
A country cannot remain a prisoner of the past", observed the Supreme Court while dismissing a PIL seeking to rename historical cities which have been named after "foreign invaders".
"The history of any nation cannot haunt the present and future generations to the point that succeeding generations become prisoners of the past", a bench comprising Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna stated while affirming the secular nature of the country. "India, that is Bharat, is a secular. Advocate and BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, the petitioner appearing as party-in-person, contended that many cities mentioned in scriptures are now named after Muslim rulers who invaded India. During the hearing, the bench expressed a concern that the petitioner was pointing fingers at one particular community. "You want to keep this as a as a live issue and keep the country on a boil? Fingers are pointed at a particular community. You run down a particular section of society. India is a secular state, this is a secular forum", Justice Joseph told Upadhyay, who was appearing as a party-in-person. In the order, the bench highlighted the concept of “fraternity” and how bonding between different sections of the society would lead to true harmony and a sense of nationhood.
