Letters to The EDITOR: SC issues notice on NCERT textbook

SC issues notice on NCERT textbook

Coming down heavily on the NCERT's publication of a Class 8 social science textbook chapter with references to "corruption in the judiciary", the Supreme Court on Thursday issued a show-cause notice to the Secretary of School Education, Ministry of Education, and the NCERT Director as to why action under the Contempt of Courts Act or any other law should not be taken against them. The Court prima facie observed that the publication of the book is a serious misconduct, which can come within the purview of criminal contempt of court if proved to be a deliberate act to scandalize the judiciary. The bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi passed the order in the suo motu case taken over the book. The court has banned the book, ordered the seizure of all physical copies, and ordered the removal of all soft copies. The SC issued a complete ban on the publication, reprinting and digital dissemination of the book containing the inappropriate content. Any sharing of the content, in any form, will be taken seriously. The physical copies of the books were ordered to be seized. "The NCERT, in coordination with the Union and State Education Depts, is directed to ensure that all copies of the book (hard or soft) currently in circulation, whether held in storage, retail outlets, or educational institutions, are seized and removed from public access. The Court directed that no instruction should be imparted to students based on the book. The Supreme Court, on February 26, 2026, ruled, "It shall be personal responsibility of NCERT Director and the principal of every school where the book has reached to effectuate immediate seizure and sealing of all copies of the book in their premises and submit a compliance report. Ensure that no instruction is imparted based on the subject book. Principal Secretaries of all states are to comply."

Bhagwan Thadani

(bhagwan_thadani@yahoo.co.in)

Special care of rare diseases

There are some uncommon diseases that require special care. Worldwide, there are about 300 million people who live with about 7,000 of what are called "rare diseases". According to the WHO, a rare disease affects "fewer than 66 per 1,00,000 population". India is said to have 63 specific rare diseases, according to "National Policy for Rare Diseases." Insufficient knowledge among the medical fraternity and paucity of awareness among the patients render these diseases challenging.

That more than 72 percent of rare diseases are of genetic origin and 70 per cent are present from birth makes them difficult to manage. Patients often experience crippling pain and discomfort as constant companions. Equity in health access, treatment and social opportunities is crucial for them. "Moving forward, looking ahead. An event for patients" - the theme for Rare Disease Day on February 28, 2026 - hopes to explore ways to collaborate and engage with patients and their communities to support the development of "rare" medical products.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com)