NCERT Textbook Dispute: Centre Announces Expert Committee Members in Supreme Court, Centre Announces Expert Committee Members in Supreme Court

In Dr Pankaj Pushkar v. Union of India and Anr., the Supreme Court was informed that the Central Government has proposed an expert committee to review the controversial NCERT chapter on judicial corruption, which had recently drawn strong judicial scrutiny.

During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that the committee would include Senior Advocate and former Attorney General KK Venugopal, former Supreme Court judge Justice Indu Malhotra, and former Supreme Court judge Justice Aniruddha Bose. A Vice Chancellor will also be part of the panel.

“We have appointed a committee, as a jurist we requested and he has accepted – Mr. Venugopal. He will be a member of the committee in drafting the chapter. Justice Indu Malhotra would be the judge. We have requested Justice Aniruddha Bose, as Judicial Director, to be kind enough to associate, and there will be one Vice Chancellor,” SG Mehta said.

The matter arose after a controversy surrounding a Class 8 NCERT social science textbook that contained a chapter discussing corruption in the judiciary. The Supreme Court had earlier taken suo motu cognisance of the issue and directed that the book be withdrawn.

Following this, NCERT issued a public apology and removed the contentious chapter. However, the Court later expressed concern when it was informed that a revised version of the chapter was proposed to be introduced in the upcoming academic session.

The bench had made it clear that any revised content must first be reviewed by an expert committee constituted by the Central Government. It also suggested that the panel should include a former senior judge, a reputed academic, and a distinguished legal practitioner.

Additionally, the Court had barred the academics involved in drafting the earlier version of the chapter from participating in other academic projects of public institutions, reflecting the seriousness of the issue.

In the present proceedings, the Court also dealt with a separate plea challenging a statement in an older NCERT textbook which observed that “Recent judgments tend to view the slum dweller as an encroacher in the city.”

The Court declined to interfere with this observation. The Chief Justice noted that such remarks represent a viewpoint on judicial decisions and fall within the scope of academic discussion. It was also observed that the issue had become irrelevant since the old textbook is being replaced.

Accordingly, the petition was disposed of, while the focus now shifts to the expert committee’s role in reviewing and finalising the revised chapter on the judiciary.