The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Friday asked individuals and organizations having Class 8 Social Science Part II textbook or any related materials to return it as soon as possible.
This comes a day after the Supreme Court ordered the immediate confiscation of physical copies and removal of digital copies of the controversial Class 8 social science textbook which included a section on ‘Corruption in the Judiciary’.
In a media advisory issued on Friday, NCERT asked everyone who had purchased the textbook titled ‘Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Social Sciences Class 8 Part II’ to return it to the head of the Department of Education in Social Sciences (DESS), or the publishing department of NCERT at Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi, at the earliest.
“We also request that any content related to the chapter ‘Role of Judiciary in Our Society’, if posted on any social media or digital platforms, be deleted at the earliest,” the advisory issued by NCERT Secretary Himanshu Gupta said. “It has once again been confirmed that NCERT has withdrawn the textbook,” the advisory added.
This came after the Federal Ministry of Education on Thursday wrote to the Secretaries of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), demanding immediate action to stop the publication of the now withdrawn Class 8 Social Science textbook through digital platforms and electronic media.
This development comes in the wake of the Supreme Court’s order on its petition for injunction on the Class 8 textbook. “The Union of India and its agencies will ensure that the book is immediately removed from physical and digital platforms without any delay and the compliance report is recorded by way of affidavit,” the Supreme Court ordered on Thursday.
The apex court also issued show-cause notices to the director of NCERT and the secretary of the school education department, questioning why a criminal contempt case had not been filed against them.
During the Supreme Court hearing on Thursday morning, Attorney General Tushar Mehta told the judges that a total of 32 books had been put up for sale and were “being withdrawn.”
The Supreme Court has called for action against those who wrote the chapter, and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has also promised strict action.
NCERT released the book on Monday and apologized on Wednesday for “inappropriate content” in one of its chapters, stating that it would be rewritten in consultation with relevant authorities.
