Supreme Court Mandates Removal of NCERT Panel Members in Textbook Controversy
In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court of India has issued a directive requiring all central and state educational institutions that receive public funding to immediately disassociate Professor Michel Denino, the chairperson of the NCERT social science curriculum, along with his two associate members, from any involvement in preparing or finalizing curriculum and textbooks for future generations.
Court's Strong Stance on Misrepresentation
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, expressed grave concerns about the content in NCERT's Class 8 social science textbook. The court stated it had "no reason to doubt" that Professor Michel Danino along with Ms. Diwakar and Mr. Alok Prasanna Kumar either lacked reasonable knowledge about the Indian judiciary or deliberately misrepresented facts to project a negative image before impressionable young students.
"There is no reason as to why such persons be associated in any manner with preparation of curriculum or finalisation of text book for the next generation," the Court declared in its order. The bench further directed that these individuals should not receive any payment from public funds for their services.
Systemic Changes and Expert Committee Recommendation
The announcement came as the Centre informed the court that it had already directed the NCERT to review textbooks for all classes. However, the Supreme Court bench suggested that instead of asking the NCERT to conduct this review, it would have appreciated if the Centre constituted an independent expert committee to examine the school curriculum.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the court that systemic changes were underway, stating, "We have started systemic changes. Nothing will be published without being vetted by the domain experts." He further confirmed that a panel of domain experts would be established to thoroughly examine the curriculum.
NCERT's Apology and Compliance Measures
Mehta informed the bench that the NCERT director had filed an affidavit tendering an "unconditional and unqualified apology" for the controversial chapter. This followed NCERT's public apology on Tuesday, where the organization stated: "The Director and Members of NCERT hereby tender an unconditional and unqualified apology for the said Chapter IV. The entire book has been withdrawn and is not available."
The court had previously issued a show-cause notice to both the NCERT Director and the School Education Secretary, demanding an explanation for why action should not be taken regarding the offending content. The bench mandated that all physical and digital copies of the textbook be seized from schools, retail outlets, and storage facilities, with principals and state education secretaries required to submit compliance reports.
Background of the Controversy
Earlier, on February 26, the Supreme Court had imposed a "complete blanket ban" on any further publication, reprinting, or digital dissemination of the Class 8 textbook in question. The court observed what appeared to be a "deep-rooted conspiracy" and "calculated move" to undermine judicial institutions and demean the dignity of the judiciary.
The court had previously ordered that all circulating copies of the book be immediately seized and removed from public access, highlighting the seriousness with which it viewed the matter of educational content that could potentially mislead young students about India's judicial system.
This landmark decision underscores the Supreme Court's commitment to ensuring that educational materials presented to students accurately represent national institutions and maintain the highest standards of factual integrity.
