The Patna High Court has sought the Centre’s response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the removal of an allegedly objectionable word from an NCERT Class 1 Hindi textbook.
As per a PTI report, a division bench comprising Chief Justice V Kameshwar Rao and Justice Sudhir Singh asked counsel appearing for the respondents to seek instructions on the matter and inform the court about the corrective measures proposed. The matter will next be heard on October 13.
The order was passed on September 15 on a petition filed by Somitra Shankar, who drew the court’s attention to an alleged error in the Hindi textbook Sarangi Part-01.
According to the petitioner, the disputed word appears in the second line of the poem “Chanda Mama Dur Ke”. The petitioner has sought correction of the word, arguing that its inclusion was inappropriate in an NCERT textbook meant for young children.
The petitioner also alleged that the word was “wrong, filthy” and abusive, and claimed that it had resulted in the “outraging of the modesty of women in society”.
Patna HC Seeks Corrective Measures
During the hearing, counsel for the respondents sought time to obtain instructions from the concerned authorities and examine the issue. The court subsequently directed the respondents to inform it about the corrective steps being considered.
The PIL specifically relates to the wording used in the Class 1 Hindi textbook Sarangi Part-01, which is published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
The petitioner has sought replacement of the disputed word with “gud” (jaggery), so that the relevant line of the nursery rhyme reads, “pua pakaye gud ke”, according to the report.
The case comes amid continued scrutiny of the content of school textbooks and the processes involved in reviewing educational material before it reaches students.
The High Court has not yet issued a final ruling on the plea. The Centre and other respondents are expected to place their response and details of any proposed corrective measures before the court when the matter comes up for hearing on October 13.
(With PTI inputs)