NCERT text book row: Trained lawyer, Indophile, educationist face SC ire

NEw new delhi: At to the lowest degree single of the people mired in preparing a controversial chapter on the judicature in a now-withdrawn Class 8 social science textbook holds law degrees from prestigious institutions and served as panel counsel for the Union of India in the apex court, while the others have long been associated with academic and curriculum development work at the national and state-level institutions.The Supreme Court observed on Wednesday that professor Michel Danino, educator Suparna Diwakar and legal researcher Alok Prasanna Kumar “do not have any reasonable knowledge about the Indian judiciary” or they “deliberately and knowingly misrepresented the facts in order to project a negative image of the Indian judiciary before students of class 8 who are at an impressionable age”.While Danino and Kumar declined to comment, saying the matter is sub judice, Diwakar said she would prefer not to comment at the moment.Here is a brief profile of the three members barred by the apex court from participating in the book development process:Alok Prasanna Kumar: Kumar is a former co-founder of the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, a Delhi-based independent think tank engaged in legal research. After completing his undergraduate law degree from the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University of Law, Hyderabad in 2008, he obtained a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) from the University of Oxford in 2009. He has also practised in the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court from the chambers of Mohan Parasaran, former Solicitor General of India.Michel Danino: He is the chairperson of the Curriculum Area Group (CAG) responsible for developing NCERT’s social science textbooks. Born in France in 1956, Danino studied physics and engineering before moving to India in 1977, inspired by Indian philosopher and yogi Sri Aurobindo. Since then, he has been engaged in research and writing on Indian civilization. Danino was awarded the Padma Shri in 2017 for his contributions to literature and education.Suparna Diwakar: Diwakar is an educationist and currently serves as a board member at the School of Inspired Leadership (SOIL), a business school in Gurugram. She is also the former founder of the Noida-based Indian School of Development Management (ISDM), which offers leadership programmes for the social sector. According to her LinkedIn profile, she served as chief consultant with the National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee of NCERT between July 2023 and January 2026. She was also involved in designing the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) between August 2022 and July 2023.Officials at both the NCERT and the Union education ministry told HT that they “will adhere to the court orders,” without commenting on whether any action would be initiated against the three.