SC nods NCERT's apology, orders expert panel to review controversial judiciary chapter
The court directs the government to form a domain expert committee to review the chapter. NCERT is asked to remove rewritten chapters until expert approval. Three individuals involved in the chapter are removed from curriculum roles
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) : The Supreme Court has accepted NCERT's apology following the controversy over a chapter on the judiciary. It also directed the central government to form a domain expert committee.
During the hearing on Wednesday, Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta assured the Supreme Court that the government would review all textbooks. He also stated that an unconditional apology had been tendered. The government has directed NCERT to review textbooks for all classes. The court also objected to the rewritten chapters and directed that the rewritten chapters not be published until a domain expert committee reviews them.
CJI Surya Kant said, "If NCERT wants to teach the next generation about the judiciary, we are disappointed that there is not a single jurist on the committee. Even if the chapter is rewritten, we direct that it will not be published until the expert committee approves it." Following this, the Supreme Court ordered the central government to form a domain expert committee in the matter. The committee will include a former judge, an academic, and a prominent legal expert. The court directed the committee to be formed within the next week.
The Supreme Court ordered the removal of Professor Michel Danino, teacher Suparna Diwakar, and legal researcher Alok Prasanna Kumar from any role in preparing the school curriculum following their role in a controversial Class 8 textbook chapter. A bench headed by CJI Surya Kant said they could approach the court if they wanted a modification of the order. The Supreme Court also asked the Centre to identify and take action against social media and digital platforms that defame the judiciary on this issue.