NCERT Textbook Cartoons Under Supreme Court Scrutiny
Court to review use of satire in school books after objections on suitability for children
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday asked a committee headed by former apex court judge Justice Indu Malhotra to examine cartoons published in NCERT textbooks.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant issued the direction after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta raised objections to the use of cartoons in school textbooks.
“A textbook is not a place where you use cartoons,” Mehta submitted, adding that while there was no objection to cartoons as such, their use in school material needed scrutiny as the books are read by children of an impressionable age.
The court directed the issue to be examined by the committee headed by Justice Malhotra. The panel also includes senior advocate K.K. Venugopal and Prof. Prakash Singh, vice chancellor of Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University. It is working with the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, on the legal studies curriculum for school students.
The court had earlier noted that satire should not be assessed from the perspective of a “touchy and hyper-sensitive individual” but from that of a reasonable person.
In its 2020 judgment in Indibily Creative Pvt Ltd vs State of West Bengal, the court had said satire has a “unique ability to quickly and clearly make a point” and cautioned against curbs on freedom of expression.
