Kerala Education Minister Backs Supreme Court on NCERT Textbook Controversy, Calls for Strict Action

Thiruvananthapuram: The Minister of General Education, V. Sivankutty, stated that he welcomes the Supreme Court’s firm stance against remarks that demean the judiciary in the NCERT Class 8 textbook. The minister was speaking to the media in Thiruvananthapuram.

He said that sending a wrong message about the Constitution to students is a serious offense. Including textbook content that undermines the judiciary, the cornerstone of democracy, is extremely unfortunate. The future generation should be taught to respect constitutional institutions.

All recent textbook revisions and deletions in NCERT must necessarily be examined by an independent expert committee. It should be investigated whether attempts are being made to distort history and constitutional values. Kerala has previously opposed such unilateral deletions. In this context, Kerala released additional textbooks that included key sections removed by NCERT.

Those who led or approved the preparation of this controversial content must face strict action. The NCERT Director and others are obliged to provide clear answers to the court’s questions. No form of communalism or anti-constitutional sentiment will be allowed in education. The state’s position is that a comprehensive investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court is necessary, the minister added.