Also read: Supreme Court NCERT hearing highlightsThe section in question in the new Social Science textbook created outrage this week, even as a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant registered a suo motu case over it, calling it a “selective reference”, with the NCERT withdrawing the textbook from distribution within a day of releasing it. Hours after the Supreme Court of India took up the case, the NCERT issued a statement apologising and regretting the “inappropriate textual material” and “error in judgement” that had “crept into” the chapter. On Thursday (February 26, 2026), even as the Supreme Court heard the case over this section in the NCERT book, Mr. Pradhan spoke to presspersons in Jharkhand, saying that he was “deeply saddened” by the incident, adding that he expressed regret over it. “The moment it came to our notice, directions were issued to withdraw the book and stop its distribution. We have the utmost respect for the judiciary and there was no intent to disrespect the judiciary,” Mr. Pradhan said.

Source: The Hindu February 26, 2026 18:15 UTC