NCERT textbook row: Kerala Education Minister welcomes SC intervention, seeks probe

Kerala's Education Minister supports Supreme Court's intervention in NCERT textbook controversy and calls for an independent investigation.

Kerala Education Minister V. Sivankutty on Friday welcomed the Supreme Court's intervention in the controversy over alleged remarks disrespecting the judiciary in an NCERT Class 8 textbook, and called for a comprehensive investigation into recent textbook revisions.

In a Facebook post, the Minister welcomed the apex court’s stand against references that allegedly undermined the judiciary.

According to him, providing students with misleading messages about the judicial system was a serious offence and including content that belittles the judiciary was unfortunate. "The younger generation must be taught to respect constitutional institutions," he said.

The Minister also demanded that all recent NCERT textbook revisions and deletions be examined by an independent expert committee. "It must be investigated whether there were attempts to distort history and constitutional values," he said.

He pointed out that Kerala had earlier opposed unilateral deletions by NCERT and had published additional textbooks that incorporated key portions removed by NCERT.

"Those who led the preparation of the controversial content and those who approved it should face strict action. The NCERT director and others concerned were bound to provide clear answers to the questions raised by the court," he said.