Education Minister’s first response to NCERT row: ‘Very sad at what happened’, vows accountability

Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan expressed deep regret on Thursday over the controversy surrounding a newly introduced Class 8 National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) social science textbook, and said accountability will be fixed for the incident.

Pradhan’s comments came hours after the Supreme Court of India imposed a “complete blanket ban” on the textbook for containing a chapter on “corruption in judiciary,” objecting to its portrayal of the judicial system.

The court ordered the immediate seizure of all physical copies and the removal of digital versions from circulation.

Speaking to reporters, the minister said he was “very sad at what has happened” and emphasised that the Centre has “utmost respect” for the judiciary.

He assured that the government would fully comply with the court’s directives and that action would be taken against officials involved in drafting the contested portion. “Accountability will be fixed,” Pradhan said, underlining that there was “no intention to insult the judiciary.”

Pradhan added that as soon as the matter was brought to his attention, the government put a halt to the distribution of the textbooks and directed NCERT to withdraw them. A probe has also been ordered to identify those responsible.

The Supreme Court, in remarks reflecting strong judicial displeasure, described the inclusion of the chapter as appearing to be part of a “well-orchestrated conspiracy” to undermine confidence in the judiciary.

The bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, said the issue went beyond mere academic discussion and could impact students, teachers and parents alike. The court also sought a deeper investigation to determine individual responsibility.

NCERT has acknowledged the controversy, apologised for the “inappropriate content” and said the section will be rewritten after consultation with relevant authorities.