Jairam Ramesh Supports Supreme Court’s Concerns Regarding NCERT Textbooks

Congress Member of Parliament Jairam Ramesh expressed his support for the Supreme Court’s recent criticisms of certain references to the judiciary found in NCERT textbooks. He has also demanded an investigation into what he described as the “malicious and vile” actions of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) over the past decade. In a message on X, Ramesh commented that the Supreme Court’s outrage was justified and described the rewriting of NCERT textbooks over the last ten years as shameful.

In his statement, Ramesh emphasized, “The Supreme Court’s outrage over the critical references to the judiciary in NCERT textbooks is justified. The manner in which these textbooks have been altered is indeed shameful. This work reflects the vile and malice-driven agenda of the RSS, and it is essential that this entire group be investigated.” His remarks coincided with the growing controversy surrounding the contents of NCERT textbooks, particularly involving a chapter in a Class 8 Social Science textbook that focuses on the judiciary, which has led to the withdrawal of its distribution.

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) had previously acknowledged shortcomings and withdrawn its newly released Class 8 Social Science textbook after recognizing inappropriate content and errors within a chapter titled “The Role of Judiciary in our Society.” This incident has ignited a wider political debate, with Ramesh using the controversy to address the RSS and challenge the processes involved in recent textbook revisions.

On the same day, the Supreme Court of India issued show cause notices to both the Secretary of the Department of Education and Literacy and NCERT Director Dinesh Prashad Saklani. The court has called for an explanation regarding why actions should not be taken under contempt or related laws for the inclusion of a sub-chapter titled “Corruption in the judiciary” in the Class 8 NCERT Social Science textbook. The bench, which included Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M Pancholi, declined to stop suo motu proceedings despite NCERT’s expressed regret regarding the controversial chapter and placed a comprehensive ban on that section of the textbook.

The Supreme Court has reinforced that any attempt to circumvent this ban would be seen as a direct interference with justice and could lead to contempt of court proceedings. Furthermore, the court has instructed NCERT to provide detailed documentation pertaining to the Teaching-Learning Materials Committee that authorized the chapter. This includes the names, qualifications, and credentials of all individuals involved in the development team.

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