Mayawati welcomes Delhi University VC's decision to reject 'Manusmriti' readings as part of Law Faculty syllabus

Mayawati welcomes Delhi University's decision to reject proposal to include Manusmriti in Law Faculty curriculum.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president and the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on July 12 welcomed the decision of the Delhi University Vice Chancellor to reject a proposal to include 'Manusmriti' in the syllabus of its Law Faculty. Ms. Mayawati stated that strong opposition was natural and the decision to cancel this proposal was a welcome step.

"Strong opposition to the proposal to teach Manusmriti in the Law Department of Delhi University, which goes against the honour and dignity of the Indian Constitution and its egalitarian and welfare objectives, is natural and the decision to cancel this proposal is a welcome step," she said in a post on social media platform X.

She further stated that the Manusmriti doesn't match the principles on which Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar composed the Indian Constitution and such attempts to include the Manusmriti in the curriculum were not appropriate.

"His Holiness Baba Saheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar composed the universally accepted Indian Constitution, especially keeping the self-respect of the neglected people and women as well as humanism and secularism at the core, which does not match with Manusmriti at all. Therefore, any such attempt is not appropriate at all," Ms. Mayawati further stated.

On Thursday, Delhi University Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Yogesh Singh, announced that the proposal to include the Sanskrit text 'Manusmriti' or Laws of Manu, which belongs to the Dharmastra literary tradition of Hinduism, in the LLB curriculum was rejected.

"Yesterday, some information came to us that Manusmriti will be part of the Law Faculty course (in DU). I inquired and talked to the Delhi University Vice Chancellor. He assured me that some law faculty members have proposed some changes in the jurisprudence chapter. But when the proposal came to the Delhi University administration, today there is an Academic Council meeting. There is no endorsement of any such proposal by the authentic body of the Academic Council. Yesterday itself, the Vice Chancellor rejected that proposal. We are all committed to our Constitution and to a futuristic approach. The government is committed to upholding the true spirit and letter of the Constitution. There is no question of including any controversial portion of any script," said Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.