'No knowledge': Disassociate three experts who drafted controversial chapter in NCERT Class 8 book, Supreme Court tells govt

'We have no reason to doubt that they either have no reasonable knowledge about Indian judiciary or they deliberately knowingly misrepresented facts'

Supreme Court of India has directed the Centre, States and universities to forthwith disassociate three experts who drafted controversial chapter in NCERT class 8 book.

It said the governments along with all institutions receiving public funds, either partially or fully, to dissociate the chairperson of NCERT Social Science curriculum, Michel Denino, and his two associate members who were behind the sub-chapter in part 2 of the Class 8 Social Science textbook 'Corruption in the Judiciary', in any manner for the purpose of preparation of curriculum or finalisation of textbook for the next generation.

A bench led by the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant also directed the authorities to disassociate professor Denino, along with his team, from the preparation and inclusion of the chapter, from rendering any service in any institution, which would mean payment to them from public funds.

“At the outset, we have no reason to doubt that professor Michel Danino, along with Ms Diwakar and Mr Alok Prasanna Kumar, either does not have reasonable knowledge about Indian judiciary or they deliberately knowingly misrepresented the facts in order to project a negative image of Indian judiciary before students of Class 8 who are at an impressionable age. There is no reason as to why such persons be associated in any manner with preparation of curriculum or finalisation of textbook for the next generation. We direct Union, all States, all institutions recieving State funds, to disassociate them from rendering any service which would mean payment to them from public funds," the court noted.