Three academics blacklisted by the Supreme Court of India over a Class VIII textbook chapter have moved the court, seeking an opportunity to present their case and challenge adverse observations made against them.
The authors, Professor Michel Danino, Suparna Diwakar and Alok Prasanna Kumar—appeared through their counsel before a Bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. They have filed personal affidavits explaining the context in which the chapter on judicial corruption was written.
The court had earlier taken suo motu cognisance of the Social Science textbook published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training, observing that portions of the content demeaned the dignity of the judiciary.
On March 26, the Bench barred the three academics from participating in any future academic projects of public institutions. It had also made strong remarks, stating that the authors either lacked informed knowledge of the judiciary or had misrepresented facts to project it negatively before students.
During Monday’s hearing, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Kumar, argued that the court’s observations had caused prejudice and sought a chance to clarify the academic intent. He submitted that the chapter was part of a broader pedagogical approach aligned with the National Education Policy, where institutional challenges across the legislature, executive and Election Commission were also discussed.
Senior advocate Arvind Datar, appearing for Danino, and advocate J Sai Deepak, representing Diwakar, echoed similar submissions, stressing that the content was the outcome of a collective academic process. The Bench agreed to list the applications after procedural defects are cleared.
Meanwhile, the Centre informed the court that a high-level panel, including former judge Indu Malhotra and senior advocate K K Venugopal, has been tasked with reviewing the revised chapter.
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