NCERT Class VIII textbook: Kerala Minister welcomes SC intervention over references to ‘corruption’ in judiciary

Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty has welcomed the Supreme Court’s intervention on references to ‘corruption’ in the judiciary in the Class VIII Social Science textbook that was published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

It was regrettable that content that demeaned the judiciary, which was the pillar of democracy, had been included in the textbook, Mr. Sivankutty said in a Facebook post on Friday, demanding that an independent expert committee probe all revisions and deletions in all NCERT textbooks in recent times. “It should be investigated whether there are moves to distort history and Constitutional values,” the Minister said in the post.

Mr. Sivankutty said imparting students with incorrect messages about the judicial system was a serious offence. “The younger generation should be taught to respect Constitutional institutions,” he said.

Kerala, he pointed out, had opposed such unilateral deletions of content earlier too and had brought out additional textbooks incorporating key content axed by the NCERT.

Mr. Sivankutty demanded stringent action against those who led the preparation of the controversial content and those who gave it approval. The NCERT director and others concerned were bound to provide clear answers to the court’s questions on the issue, he said.

He underscored that communalism or opposition to Constitutional institutions would not be allowed in the education sector. “The State’s position is that a comprehensive probe under the supervision of the Supreme Court should be held on this issue,” the Minister said.

The apex court had ordered a blanket ban on the Class VIII Social Science textbooks citing a calculated move to denigrate the judicial system.