SC blacklists professor, 2 others behind NCERT's controversial judiciary chapter
What's the story
The Supreme Court has directed the Union government and states to disassociate from the three authors involved in drafting the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)'s now-withdrawn Class 8 Social Science textbook that contained a chapter on "corruption in the judiciary." The court was hearing a suo motu case initiated by it. During the hearing, it objected to the NCERT Director Dr. Dinesh Prasad Saklani's submission that the textbook had been rewritten.
Order
'Reply of NCERT director is disturbing'
"Reply of NCERT director is disturbing, as it is submitted that in terms of directions issued by us, chapter IV of the book has been duly rewritten. It is further stated that the revised chapter shall be incorporated in the forthcoming academic session and shall be implemented across schools in terms with applicable school curriculum framework." "Neither the affidavit nor otherwise has apprised the court as to who are the alleged...experts who have rewritten the chapter," the court said.
Expert panel
Committee should have retired judge, renowned academician: SC
Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi directed that an expert committee review the rewritten chapter before publication. The court directed the central government to form a committee comprising one retired judge, one renowned academician, and one renowned practitioner. The bench expressed disappointment at NCERT's failure to include an eminent jurist in the committee and ordered that the expert committee of domain experts be formed within one week.
Ruling
What court said
The court also directed the Union government and states to disassociate from the three authors. "We have no reason to doubt that professor Michel Danino along with Ms Diwakar and Mr Alok Prasanna Kumar either does not have reasonable knowledge...or they deliberately, knowingly misrepresented the facts...to project a negative image of Indian judiciary." "There is no reason as to why such persons be associated in any manner with the preparation of curriculum or finalization of textbook for the next generation."
Textbook withdrawal
NCERT admits error in judgment, decides to withdraw controversial portion
However, the trio can approach the Supreme Court for modification of the order. The court was hearing a suo motu case over an NCERT textbook that allegedly contained a section on "corruption in judiciary." Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal first raised this issue on February 25, and the court has already taken cognizance. The NCERT later admitted to an error in judgment and decided to withdraw the controversial portion of the textbook.