The top court has halted circulation of the disputed section and sought committee records, while NCERT has withdrawn the book and promised revisions after consultation.
National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) director Dinesh Prashad Saklani has begun examining how a controversial passage found its way into a school textbook, sources told news agency ANI on Thursday.
The move comes after the Supreme Court raised serious concerns over a sub-chapter titled ‘Corruption in the judiciary’ in a Class 8 Social Science book. The court has taken suo motu cognisance of the issue, setting off a wider debate on how textbooks are vetted and approved.
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According to sources, the NCERT Director is looking into the full chain of events behind the preparation of the book. “The Director, NCERT, is ascertaining the process of making of the textbooks, which has led to this error of judgment and also identifying the persons/processes responsible for the same. This would also ensure that this kind of inappropriateness is completely avoided in future. This shall be done with the utmost strictness,” sources told ANI.
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A bench led by Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant issued show cause notices to the Secretary of the Department of Education and Literacy and to Saklani, asking them to explain why proceedings under contempt or other relevant laws should not be initiated.
The court has also ordered that the disputed portion must not be circulated. It has sought records related to the committee that cleared the chapter for publication.
Following the court’s intervention, NCERT stopped the distribution of the textbook. It also issued an apology and said the material would be reviewed and revised after proper consultation.
The controversy has drawn strong reactions from political leaders. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh supported the Supreme Court’s stand. He described changes made to NCERT textbooks over the past decade as “shameful” and alleged that they reflected the “vile and malice-driven work” of the RSS. He called for a wider probe into those responsible.
BJD MP Sasmit Patra also backed the court’s action. He said the inclusion of such material was “extremely unwarranted and deplorable” and stressed that accountability must follow. He added that safeguards are needed to prevent similar issues in the future.
Senior members of the Bar expressed concern as well. Senior Advocate Pinky Anand described the content as “calculated and targeted.” Advocate Ashwini Upadhyay argued that discussions on corruption should not single out the judiciary alone. Adish C Aggarwala, Chairman of the All India Bar Association, said the court’s intervention was appropriate and called the inclusion a grave mistake.
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