Kamal Ghorui
New Delhi: Three academicians engaged by NCERT as experts – Prof Michel Danino, Suparna Diwakar and Alok Prasanna Kumar – whom the Supreme Court banned for life “for projecting a negative image of judiciary” by mentioning about corruption in judiciary in a Class 8 textbook, approached the apex court Monday seeking a review of the order. “Class 6 and Class 7 textbooks do deal with issues… faced by legislature, Election Commission and the executive… We want to show the processes that have been followed… These are academics with a lot of credibility,” the petitioners’ counsel said.
Appearing for the three, senior advocate Arvind Datar, Gopal Sankaranarayanan and Sai Deepak told the bench that the blacklisting of the academicians has grave implications and requested a bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi to urgently take up these applications for hearing.CJI Kant asked, “Are you defending your actions?” Sankaranarayanan responded by saying, “We are giving a context (to what was written in the Class VIII book). I was present when the newspaper article was mentioned before the court and told how the judiciary is being singled out (on prevalence of corruption).”For Danino, Datar said, “The court may consider his detailed explanation.” Deepak said, “It was a collective effort, and no individual had the final say.”SC directed the registry to list the application for hearing. It said no intervention would be permitted in this matter by others.Appearing for education ministry, additional solicitor general K M Nataraj told the bench about the formation of two committees to scrutinise the existing syllabus to eliminate intemperate reference to judiciary in school textbooks and also to suggest a framework in consultation with National Judicial Academy.
