NCERT book row: Supreme Court directs Centre to form panel expert panel for course of legal studies
The court was hearing a suo motu case related to a Class 8 social science textbook prepared by NCERT that contained allegedly “offending” references about corruption in the judiciary.
PTC News Desk: The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday (March 11, 2026) directed the Centre to set up a committee of subject experts within a week to finalise the legal studies curriculum in National Council of Educational Research and Training textbooks. The court clarified that its order was not meant to stop healthy and objective criticism of the judiciary’s functioning.
The court was hearing a suo motu case related to a Class 8 social science textbook prepared by NCERT that contained allegedly “offending” references about corruption in the judiciary. The chapter was written by a textbook development team headed by Michel Danino.
A bench led by Surya Kant directed the Centre, states, union territories and universities to immediately distance themselves from the three experts who prepared the controversial chapter. The team included Michel Danino as chairperson, with Suparna Diwakar and Alok Prasanna Kumar as members.
The bench, which also included Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, said the three experts are free to approach the apex court if they want to seek a modification of the order.
During the hearing, the Centre informed the Bench that it has directed the NCERT to review textbooks of all classes. The Bench observed that instead of asking the NCERT to do so, it would have appreciated if the Centre constituted an expert committee to review the curriculum.