Pradhan regrets NCERT lapse: Edu Minister vows accountability

New Delhi: 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.”