NCERT Row: Alok Prasanna Kumar Questions Being Singled Out in Judiciary Chapter Controversy

Alok Prasanna Kumar challenges NCERT and Supreme Court action in the Class 8 textbook row, calling it unfair and highlighting concerns over academic freedom.

on Apr 09, 2026

NCERT Row: Alok Prasanna Kumar Questions Being Singled Out in Judiciary Chapter Controversy

Alok Prasanna Kumar, a legal expert, has been taken aback by his selection as one of the accused in the row over the removal of a certain chapter entitled “corruption in judiciary” in the books of the NCERT.

Along with Michel Danino, who is a historian, and another educationalist named Suparna Diwakar, he was selected in an order issued by the Supreme Court of India stating that these three were to blame for writing the offending content. In reaction to this, Kumar said that NCERT Director Dinesh Saklani had picked out three people without cause.

The co-founder of Vidhi Center for Legal Policy, Kumar, clarified that he was one of the fifteen contributors who formed the Textbook Development Team (TDT). It was his responsibility to contribute to the writing of Chapter 4 titled “Role of Judiciary in Society” in the social science textbook meant for Class 8. According to him, it is not NCERT’s policy to recognize individual authors.

He further submitted in an affidavit before the court that more than 50 people were involved in writing the chapter, which includes teachers, reviewers, and other educational institutes. “Preparation of such a chapter can never be the personal responsibility of anyone,” Kumar said while elaborating the numerous rounds of revisions made to the chapter as per the policy set forth in the National Education Policy.

The issue gained more prominence when Supreme Court issued an order on March 11, 2026, asking government bodies as well as publicly funded organizations to dissociate themselves from the three experts mentioned in the judgment. The challenge against this decision comes from Kumar, who contends that no notice and opportunity was given to him in regard to the matter.

Regarding issues relating to the content, Kumar insisted that mentions of judicial delay and judicial corruption had been drawn from facts available in public sources and were intended to promote the development of analytical skills among students. He also noted that such themes had previously been covered in earlier classes as per the National Education Policy guidelines.

Furthermore, according to Kumar, deliberations on themes like accountability and transparency, along with the limitations of institutions, were meant to contribute towards building an informed citizenry.

The controversy surrounding the case brings up wider issues of academic freedom and the authorship of textbooks for schools.