NEW DELHI: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday addressed the controversy over teaching Manusmriti to Delhi University law students, firmly stating that no controversial content of any script would be included in the curriculum.
Pradhan noted that Delhi University Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh had already dismissed the proposal. He emphasised the government's commitment to the Constitution and clarified that no such proposal had been endorsed by the Academic Council.
Pradhan explained that upon receiving information about Manusmriti's inclusion in the Law Faculty course at DU, he consulted with the Vice Chancellor. Singh assured him that some faculty members had proposed changes to the jurisprudence chapter but the proposal was rejected immediately.
"There is no endorsement of any such proposal in the Academic Council. The Vice-Chancellor rejected that proposal yesterday. We are all committed to our Constitution and to a futuristic approach. The government is committed to upholding the true spirit of the Constitution. There is no question of including any controversial portions of any script," Pradhan stated.
A proposal to introduce Manusmriti (Laws of Manu) to Delhi University's LLB students was set to be discussed in an Academic Council meeting, sparking criticism from some teachers. The Faculty of Law had sought approval to revise the syllabus for first and third-year students to include Manusmriti. The proposed changes to the jurisprudence paper included readings from "Manusmriti with the Manubhasya of Medhatithi" by G.N. Jha and "Commentary of Manu Smriti - Smritichandrika" by T. Kristnasawmi Iyer.
However, the Vice Chancellor clarified that these suggestions were rejected and would not be part of the curriculum. In a video message, Singh stated, "The Faculty of Law's proposal included changes to the Jurisprudence paper, suggesting readings on Manusmriti. We have rejected both the suggested readings and the proposed amendments. Nothing of this sort will be taught to students."