"Accountability will be fixed," Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Thursday over the NCERT textbook row.
He expressed regret after the Supreme Court objected to portions of a Class 8 NCERT Social Science book. The chapter referred to "corruption in judiciary". The court ordered a blanket ban on the textbook. It also directed immediate seizure of physical copies and takedown of digital versions.
Pradhan said the Union government has "utmost respect" for the judiciary. He assured that court directives will be followed. He said he was "very sad at what has happened" and clarified there was "no intention to insult the judiciary." He added that action would be taken against those involved in drafting the chapter, Hindustan Times reported.
SC seeks accountability, calls action "very light"
A day after taking suo motu cognisance, the Supreme Court said it expects the Centre to act. "We expect the government to issue takedown orders. The State will have to take that responsibility," the court said.
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Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that two individuals involved in preparing the chapter would no longer be linked to the ministry. But the bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant called it "very light action."
"They have fired the gunshot, and the judiciary is bleeding today. The judges say their morale is down and people are talking about it," the court noted. It said the issue would affect not just students, but also teachers and parents. "It is a deep-rooted conspiracy to malign the judiciary," the SC said.
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'Heads must roll', says CJI
The apex court sought a deeper probe into how the book was published. It said the chapter highlights complaints against judges but fails to properly mention the judiciary's role in protecting constitutional morality and the basic structure doctrine, HT reported.
"We need to find who is responsible and we will see who are there," CJI Surya Kant said. He added, "As the head of the institution, I must find out who the persons who are responsible behind it. Heads must roll, I am not going to close these proceedings."
