PM Modi demands accountability in NCERT textbook controversy

PM Narendra Modi slammed the NCERT Class 8 "Corruption in Judiciary" chapter controversy during a cabinet meet, questioning content oversight and ordering action aginst those responsible. 

A controversial chapter titled "Corruption in the Judiciary" in NCERT's Class 8 Social Science textbook has ignited national outrage, leading to a Supreme Court ban on its publication.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took strong exception during Tuesday's cabinet meeting, expressing deep anguish over the content. He directed Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to investigate who was responsible, stating firmly, "Someone has to be held accountable."

The chapter, which highlighted alleged judicial corruption and case delays, drew sharp criticism from the judiciary and legislature, respectively.

According to several reports, PM Modi raised the NCERT textbook controversy during the first cabinet meeting at Seva Teerth, the newly-built PMO complex,  questioning why Class 8 students are taught about "judicial corruption" and demanded to know who monitors textbook content.

Earlier today, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also criticised NCERT over the controversial "Corruption in the Judiciary" chapter. He called the Supreme Court's observations "very agreeable to us," aligning with its ban on the content amid widespread backlash.

Pradhan said, “The mention of the Supreme Court and India's judicial system in the NCERT is a matter of concern. When this came to our knowledge, we made NCERT review the books. The observations by the Supreme Court today are very agreeable to us. I express regret over this. Action will be taken against the NCERT officials concerned. Govt will see to it that this situation does not occur again”, quotes ANI.

He also called the incident "unfortunate" and praised the Ministry's swift response.

Also Read: ‘Supreme Court observation very agreeable’; Education Minister slams NCERT after Judiciary corruption row

"As soon as I learned about it two days ago, I directed NCERT to withdraw and cancel all copies," he said Thursday. "We have no intention of contempt toward our judiciary. We'll follow Supreme Court orders fully, and I've tasked my secretary to act against whoever added this irresponsible chapter. We're treating this very seriously”, said Pradhan as per ANI.

In the wake of the controversy, the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Suryakant labeled the NCERT Class 8 textbook controversy a possible "deep conspiracy," promising to fix accountability and ensure justice for those responsible while banning the book.

The Supreme Court also issued show-cause notices to the Secretary of the Department of Education & Literacy (Ministry of Education) and NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani, demanding why contempt or other legal action shouldn't proceed.

The court also ordered NCERT to submit full records of the Teaching-Learning Materials Committee that approved the chapter, including names, qualifications, and credentials of all team members.

As the controversy gained momentum, NCERT issued an apology, calling the incident an ‘error of judgment’. In a statement on Wednesday, NCERT apologized, saying, “The aforesaid error is purely unintentional and NCERT regrets the inclusion of inappropriate material in the said chapter.”

“NCERT, once again, regrets this error of judgment and apologizes while reiterating our resolve to continuously work for institutional sanctity and respect.”