NCERT textbook controversies
In 1961, India established the National Council of Educational Research and Training to advise state and central governments on school education. The organisation published model textbooks for adoption by school systems across the country. Its director is appointed by the Ministry of Education, and it is funded by the government. Since the first textbooks appeared, successive governments have been accused of using this arrangement to shape what children are taught. Books have been withdrawn, chapters deleted, and authors not consulted. What counts as history? Which rulers, religions, and social movements deserve a chapter, and which are quietly removed? And who gets to decide?
M. C. Chagla, India's Minister of Education in the early 1960s, believed that history textbooks should be secular and rational, not a recitation of myths. To that end, a committee was formed. It included historians Tara Chand, Nilakanta Sastri, Mohammad Habib, Bisheshwar Prasad, B. P. Saxena, and P. C. Gupta. That committee commissioned some of the country's most prominent historians to write the foundational textbooks. Romila Thapar's Ancient India for Class VI appeared in 1966, followed by her Medieval India for Class VII in 1967. The 1970s brought more books: Ram Sharan Sharma's Ancient India, Satish Chandra's Medieval India, Bipan Chandra's Modern India, and Arjun Dev's India and the World.
In 1969, a Parliamentary Consultative Committee demanded that the Ancient India textbook state categorically that the Aryans were indigenous to India. Thapar and the editorial board rejected that demand. Hindu and Sikh religious organisations raised further objections, arguing that their respective faiths and religious leaders were not sufficiently celebrated. The Hindu Mahasabha and Arya Samaj contended that any mention of beef-eating in ancient times contradicted the religious sentiments of the 'Hindu nationality'. The first major test of government pressure came in 1977. An anonymous memorandum landed on the desk of Prime Minister Morarji Desai three months into the Janata Party government.
Nanaji Deshmukh, former Jana Sangh leader and general secretary of the Janata Party, was the one who handed Prime Minister Desai the memorandum. The document named Thapar's Medieval India and Bipan Chandra's Modern India as targets. Two non-NCERT books were also included: Freedom Struggle by Tripathi, De and Chandra, and Communalism and the Writing of Indian History by Thapar, Mukhia and Chandra. The Prime Minister forwarded the memorandum to the Education Minister, suggesting the books be withdrawn. In August 1977, R. S. Sharma's Ancient India was also published and immediately added to the list of targets. All the books were labelled 'anti-Indian and anti-national' in content and 'prejudicial to the study of history'.
The memorandum's core charges centred on Tilak, Aurobindo, and the depiction of medieval Muslim rulers. The books were accused of being insufficiently critical of certain Muslim invaders during the medieval period. They were also said to overemphasise how leaders like Tilak and Aurobindo had contributed to Hindu-Muslim antagonisms. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh launched a separate campaign against the books in its magazine Organiser.
After the memorandum leaked, a public debate ran from 1977 until 1979. The most hotly contested question was the portrayal of Mughal-era India and the role of Islam in Indian history. In November 1977, a committee of reputable historians examined the textbooks and endorsed their continuance. The government disregarded that finding. In July 1978, it passed an act withdrawing R. S. Sharma's Ancient India from the syllabus of the Central Board of Secondary Education. When the BJP returned to power as part of the NDA coalition in 1998, the campaign resumed at a far larger scale.
In 2002, under the NDA government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, NCERT launched a new National Curriculum Framework. Liberal historians immediately accused it of 'saffronisation': raising the profile of Hindutva cultural norms and historical personalities within school textbooks. The BJP said its goal was to free institutions from what it called the dynastic control of Congress and the Communists. Party members argued they wanted to present a more accurate picture of Indian history and culture, including Vedic science.
Romila Thapar and the other textbook authors were not consulted before their work was altered. From Ancient Indian History, NCERT removed references to beef-eating and cattle sacrifice. A critical evaluation of Puranic and epic traditions in the light of archaeological evidence was also deleted, including material on the antiquity of Ayodhya and the origin of Krishna worship in Mathura. The explanation of Brahminical hostility toward Ashoka despite his policy of religious tolerance was cut. So was the analysis of the exploitative aspects of the caste system, and the entire early life of Vardhamana Mahavira. From Medieval Indian History, the chapter on the execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur was removed. From Modern Indian History, a line describing the plundering activities of the Jat rulers of Bharatpur was deleted; the government called it 'noxious'. The government cited respect for the sentiments of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Dalits, and Muslims. No formal explanations accompanied most of the individual cuts.
In 2003, NCERT released new history textbooks for Classes VI, IX, and XI. Makkhan Lal authored the books for Class VI and Class XI; Hari Om wrote the Class IX textbook. The new books gave greater prominence to Hindu culture while reducing space devoted to Buddhism, Jainism, and Muslim rulers.
Frontline magazine, published by The Hindu, found in 2003 that the Class 12 textbook Contemporary World History had borrowed passages without attribution. The source was World Civilizations: Their History and Their Culture, published by the American house W. W. Norton and Company Inc. Its authors included Edward MacNall Burns, Philip Lee Ralph, Robert E. Lerner, and Standish Meacham. The plagiarism accusations drew scrutiny from across the political spectrum. What followed in 2004 would prove even more contested.
The United Progressive Alliance government, elected in 2004, pledged to 'de-saffronise' textbooks and restore the secular character of education. In March 2004, revised NCERT textbooks were released, drawing primarily on the versions used before the 2002 changes. The Ministry of Human Resource Development said it had made only minor modifications to the pre-2002 texts. In Delhi, the Directorate of Education prepared 47 new textbooks in collaboration with the State Council of Educational Research and Training.
In June 2004, a review panel was constituted by NCERT with J. S. Grewal, Barun De, and S. Settar as members. The panel found the new books had poor content, were shoddily presented, and carried significant amounts of irrelevant information. It recommended that the books not be used until the defects were resolved. In April of that year, the academic year began without Urdu versions of the new textbooks being ready. Press reports said Urdu-speaking students were deprived of needed materials; NCERT denied the claim.
In 2006, Sikh organisations protested a passage in the Class 12 History textbook Modern India. The original text described Emperor Bahadur Shah trying to 'conciliate the rebellious Sikhs' by making peace with Guru Gobind Singh. It also stated that Guru Gobind Singh was offered a high mansab. The NCERT revised the passage to describe a Sikh revolt under Guru Gobind Singh in the early 18th century, with leadership later passing to Banda Bahadur after his death. The Central Board of Secondary Education then instructed schools to use only the revised text.
On the 2nd of April 2012, Ramdas Athavale of the Republican Party of India held a press conference and burnt copies of a page from the Class 11 Political Science textbook. The page carried a cartoon of B. R. Ambedkar riding a snail labelled 'Constitution', with Pandit Nehru behind him, also holding a whip. The caption read: 'Cartoonist's impression of the snail's pace with which the Constitution was made'. Athavale demanded the resignation of Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal and called on NCERT to account for the insult. The issue created uproar in both Houses of Parliament. NCERT chief advisors Yogendra Yadav and Suhas Palshikar resigned after the government issued an apology and promised to remove the cartoon. Palshikar said the caricature had been 'a symbol of the progressive outlook in education' and that removing it had undone that.
In June 2012, a cartoon by R. K. Laxman on the anti-Hindi agitation of 1965 drew strong criticism in Tamil Nadu. Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa demanded its removal, saying it defamed Dravidian movement leaders like Periyar and C. N. Annadurai. The DMK, led by M. Karunanidhi, also urged the central government to drop the cartoon. A few months later, NCERT dropped six cartoons from four Political Science textbooks. The Ambedkar cartoon was replaced with a photograph of Dr Rajendra Prasad greeting Ambedkar.
Shortly afterward, the Shahi Imam of Fatehpuri Mosque, Mohd. Mukarram Ahmed, wrote to Kapil Sibal asking for the removal of a medieval painting of Gabriel the Archangel from a history chapter. His letter, dated the 10th of September 2012, said the painting from the chapter 'The Central Islamic Lands' was 'comical in its presentation' and against Sharia. Najaf Haider, an associate professor at the Centre for Historical Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, rejected the complaint. He noted that the Gabriel painting came from a 13th-century text called Aja'ib al-Makhluqat by the scholar Qazwini, and argued that the letter identified no specific objection beyond stating the images violated Sharia. In 2017, a BJP-affiliated campaign to remove the Grade 11 Hindi poem Sabse Khatarnak by the poet Pash from the curriculum failed. But other interventions in that period would not.
In 2017, a study for the NGO Action Aid scrutinised ten NCERT textbooks across Hindi, Mathematics, English, and Environmental Studies. The researcher, Anais Leclere, was a 21-year-old French Political Science student. Her findings revealed a consistent gender imbalance. A Class 5 English textbook showed 56% men and only 20.6% women in its illustrations. Terms like 'milkman' and 'policeman' reflected what the study called a 'masculinisation of jobs'. Action Aid recommended that NCERT adopt gender-neutral language and introduce gender studies from Class 1.
Also in 2017, a map in the Class 12 textbook Contemporary World Politics showed the disputed Aksai Chin region in the same colour as China. NCERT explained that the map originated at the University of Texas at Austin and depicted East and South East Asia. The map was replaced after media scrutiny.
In May 2017, NCERT director Hrushikesh Senapaty announced a review aimed at 'plugging the gaps' rather than a full revision. The 2018 exercise produced 1,334 changes across 182 textbooks. The heading of a passage about the 2002 Gujarat riots was changed from 'Anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat' to 'Gujarat riots'. The phrase 'against Muslims' was deleted from a sentence that had read, 'In February-March 2002, large-scale violence against Muslims took place in Gujarat'. In the same passage, the 1984 riots, described as anti-Sikh, were not renamed.
In 2019, a further rationalisation exercise cut chapters from the Class 9 and Class 10 History textbooks. From Class 9, chapters on the history of clothing, the story of cricket, and the lives of peasants and farmers were removed. From Class 10, chapters on the nationalist movement in Indo-China, life in contemporary cities, and the novel's social history were dropped. NCERT's director noted that Class 9 Social Sciences had 24 chapters compared to 15 each in Science and Mathematics. Class 10 had 28 Social Sciences chapters against 16 each in Science and Mathematics. The rationalisation reduced those totals to 20 and 25 chapters respectively.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, NCERT carried out a second rationalisation in 2022, citing the need to reduce curriculum load and aid learning recovery. From Class 12 History, the entire chapter 'Kings and Chronicles: The Mughal Courts' was deleted. From Class 11 History, three chapters vanished: 'Central Islamic Lands', 'Confrontation of Cultures', and 'The Industrial Revolution'. Five pages on the Emergency period were removed from the Class 12 Political Science textbook. The deleted material had described arrests of political workers, media restrictions, torture, forced sterilisations, and the Shah Commission of Inquiry set up to investigate government excesses. The Class 12 History textbook also lost a description of Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse. The deleted text had called him 'a Brahmin from Pune' and 'the editor of an extremist Hindu newspaper'.
Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution was removed from the Class 10 Science textbook, along with the Periodic Table. Over 1,800 scientists, educators, and science communicators signed an open letter by the Breakthrough Science Society condemning the decision. The letter argued that excluding this theory would severely hinder students' critical thinking and understanding of the natural world. Teachers grouped under 'Teachers Against the Climate Crisis' also protested. A chapter on the greenhouse effect had been removed from the Class 11 Geography syllabus, a chapter on weather and climate from Class 7, and monsoon content from Class 9.
On the 8th of June 2023, Suhas Palshikar and Yogendra Yadav wrote to NCERT asking to have their names removed from the Political Science textbooks. They said they were 'embarrassed to be associated with these textbooks'. Days later, 33 more academics from prominent Indian colleges made the same request. Sanjay Kumar, a secretary in the Department of School Education and Literacy, dismissed the controversy as 'much ado about nothing'. He said due process had been followed and that new textbooks under the National Education Policy 2020 would be released shortly.
Between 2023 and 2026, NCERT gave Hindi titles to several new English-medium textbooks. The English textbook for Classes 1 and 2 was renamed Mridang. For Classes 3 to 5, the English book became Santoor and Mathematics became Maths Mela. New books for Arts and Physical Education, named Bansuri and Khel Yoga, were released for those classes for the first time. Kerala's Education Minister V. Sivankutty described the naming approach as an 'illogicality' and a 'cultural imposition'. He argued it undermined linguistic diversity and federal principles. NCERT maintained that the names had been chosen to convey 'rootedness in India's culture'.
After the Chandrayaan-3 moon landing in August 2023, NCERT released ten sets of reading modules titled Chandrayaan Utsav. One module, aimed at middle-school students, suggested that ancient Indian texts including the Vaimānika Shāstra contained knowledge of flying vehicles. Scientists pointed out that a study by the Indian Institute of Science showed the concepts in the Vaimānika Shāstra were not aerodynamically sound. Former ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair called the claims 'scientific fiction', stating that no physical evidence supported them. NCERT withdrew the module after criticism, then reintroduced it after the government defended mythology as a spur to innovation. Reports noted that the 17-page module focused extensively on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's role rather than on the contributions of ISRO.
In April 2024, NCERT revised its Political Science curriculum for Grades 11 and 12. The updated Class 12 History textbook cast doubt on the Aryan migration theory and described Harappan genetic roots going back to 10,000 BCE. In the Class 12 Political Science textbook, the name 'Babri Masjid' was replaced with 'a three-domed structure'. The revised text referred to the location as 'the site of Shri Ram's birthplace'. The section on Ayodhya shrank from four pages to two. Detailed descriptions of the Rath Yatra, communal tensions, and the 1992 demolition were removed or substantially altered. The new version included a subsection on the 2019 Supreme Court verdict that led to the construction of the Ram temple. In the Class 11 Political Theory textbook, the description of the 2002 Gujarat riots was changed. The original focus on the killing of 'mostly Muslims' became a statement that 'more than 1,000 persons were killed'.
In July 2024, NCERT published new textbooks for Grade 6. The Social Science textbook described the Harappan Civilisation as the 'Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilisation'. It also claimed India had its own prime meridian, called the 'Madhya Rekha', which passed through Ujjain.
In April 2025, the Class 7 Social Science textbook removed all references to the period of Muslim rule in India. Dynasties including the Tughlaq, Khalji, Mamluk, Lodi, and Mughals disappeared from the curriculum. In their place, new content focused on ancient kingdoms such as the Magadha, Maurya, Shunga, and Satavahanas. A new chapter titled 'How the Land Becomes Sacred' covered sacred and pilgrimage sites across India.
The Class 8 Social Science textbook, released on the 16th of July 2025, drew immediate criticism. It described Babur as 'a brutal and ruthless conqueror, slaughtering entire populations of cities'. Akbar was portrayed as having ordered the massacre of some 30,000 civilians at Chittorgarh. The book included a 'Note on Some Darker Periods in History', urging students to engage with historical events dispassionately. References to Razia Sultan, who had ruled the Delhi Sultanate, and to Nur Jahan, wife of Emperor Jahangir, were dropped. A new section titled 'Mighty Maratha Women' highlighted Tarabai, described as 'the architect of the northward Maratha expansion'. Ahilyabai Holkar was also featured, credited with Maratha expansion in North India. References to Tipu Sultan, Hyder Ali, and the four Anglo-Mysore Wars were removed. A new chapter on the Maratha Empire included the Anglo-Maratha wars of 1775-1818. It asserted that 'the British took India from the Marathas more than from the Mughals or any other power'. The textbook estimated that colonial powers had extracted 'many billions of pounds' from India, citing a recent calculation of 45 trillion US dollars.
Before Independence Day in August 2025, NCERT released a module titled Partition Horrors. It blamed Muhammad Ali Jinnah for demanding partition, the Indian National Congress for accepting it, and Viceroy Lord Mountbatten for implementing it. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera demanded the document be 'torn up', arguing it omitted the Hindu Mahasabha's 1938 proposal for separate nations. Following Operation Sindoor in May 2025, NCERT released two sets of modules on that operation for students in Grades 3 to 10. The modules featured at least four quotes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a reference to the 'Make in India' initiative.
In February 2026, a new NCERT chapter titled 'The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society' listed judicial corruption as a key challenge. It cited a backlog of approximately 4.7 crore cases in district and subordinate courts, totalling more than 5 crore cases nationwide. The chapter quoted former Chief Justice of India B. R. Gavai, from July 2025, acknowledging instances of corruption and misconduct. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal called the inclusion 'absolutely scandalous' in the Supreme Court. On the 25th of February 2026, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant declared, 'I will not allow anyone on earth to defame the institution.' On the 26th of February, the Supreme Court issued a 'blanket and complete' ban on the textbook. On the 10th of March, NCERT issued an 'unconditional and unqualified apology'. In ruling that three NCERT members be removed from public service, Chief Justice Surya Kant remarked: 'We know how to deal with such persons.' He added: 'They must also know how to deal with the current CJI.'
S. Irfan Habib, a historian, described the textbook revisions as part of a broader attempt to impose Hindu nationalist propaganda on Indian students. He said the politicisation of textbooks leads to 'the polarisation of the country by presenting a skewed past'. He called it 'a conscious act by the present government to pursue agendas to further the religious divide in India by brainwashing young kids'.
Apoorvanand, a professor at the University of Delhi, argued that the government 'seeks to portray India as a historically Hindu-only land'. He wrote that 'the marginalisation of Mughals and Muslims in textbooks mirrors what Muslims in Modi's India are facing in real life'. Audrey Truschke, a historian at Rutgers University, put the counter-argument plainly: 'erasing Mughals from textbooks does not erase them from India's history'.
Harbans Mukhia, a historian of medieval India, argued that the changes served a specific political calculation. He suggested the BJP was advancing the narrative that Hindus are under threat from Muslims, as a strategy to consolidate the Hindu vote. Suhas Palshikar, a political scientist who had resigned from NCERT advisory roles over disputed changes, called the deletion exercise 'an act of rewriting'. He said the government intended 'not to mention inconvenient facts'.
Romila Thapar, whose Ancient India textbook had been a target of controversy since 1966, argued that the revisions undermined objective, evidence-based historical scholarship. She maintained that the changes promoted a specific political ideology rather than any genuine effort to improve education. Angshuman Kar, a professor at the University of Burdwan, pointed out that history is 'inscribed in the collective memory of people'. He argued it 'cannot be erased at will', even when textbooks are rewritten.
Dr Ruchika Sharma, a historian with a doctorate from Jawaharlal Nehru University, argued that the textbooks presented a selective portrait of medieval India. She challenged the treatment of the jizya tax, noting that Akbar abolished it early in his reign. That fact, she pointed out, is documented in the Ain-i-Akbari. Sharma described the overall changes as 'a communal blueprint masquerading as history' aimed at sowing ideological anger in students.
Aditya Mukherjee, a professor of contemporary Indian history, offered the starkest assessment of all. He argued that attempts to erase the history of a particular community are 'usually followed by a genocide of the community'.
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Common questions
What is NCERT and why do its textbooks spark controversy in India?
The National Council of Educational Research and Training was established in 1961 by the Government of India to advise state and central governments on school education and to publish model textbooks. It is government-funded and its director is appointed by the Ministry of Education, making it susceptible to accusations that its curriculum reflects the ideology of whichever party holds power in New Delhi. It has faced such accusations under governments of different parties since its first textbooks appeared.
What textbook changes did NCERT make under the NDA government from 2002 to 2003?
Under the NDA from 2002, NCERT deleted from Ancient Indian History references to beef-eating and cattle sacrifice, a critical evaluation of Puranic traditions in the light of archaeological evidence, the early life of Vardhamana Mahavira, and the explanation of Brahminical hostility toward Ashoka. In 2003, new history textbooks for Classes VI, IX, and XI, authored by Makkhan Lal and Hari Om, gave greater prominence to Hindu culture while reducing coverage of Buddhism, Jainism, and the actions of Muslim rulers. Critics described the exercise as saffronisation of education.
What happened when NCERT removed Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution from Class 10 Science textbooks?
In 2022, NCERT removed Darwin's Theory of Evolution from the Class 10 Science textbook as part of a post-COVID rationalisation exercise, along with the Periodic Table. Over 1,800 scientists, educators, and science communicators signed an open letter by the Breakthrough Science Society condemning the decision, arguing it would severely hinder students' critical thinking and understanding of the natural world. The letter emphasised that Darwin's theory has been central to rational thought since its inception.
Why did the Supreme Court of India ban an NCERT textbook in February 2026?
On the 26th of February 2026, the Supreme Court issued a 'blanket and complete' ban on an NCERT textbook after a chapter titled 'The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society' discussed judicial corruption. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant declared, 'I will not allow anyone on earth to defame the institution.' NCERT issued an 'unconditional and unqualified apology' on the 10th of March 2026, and the Supreme Court ruled that three NCERT members be removed from any service paid from public funds.
What was the controversy over the B. R. Ambedkar cartoon in NCERT textbooks in 2012?
In April 2012, a Class 11 Political Science textbook carried a cartoon of B. R. Ambedkar riding a snail labelled 'Constitution', with Pandit Nehru behind him also holding a whip, captioned 'Cartoonist's impression of the snail's pace with which the Constitution was made'. On the 2nd of April, Ramdas Athavale of the Republican Party of India held a press conference and burnt copies of the page. The issue created uproar in both Houses of Parliament, and NCERT chief advisors Yogendra Yadav and Suhas Palshikar resigned after the government apologised and promised to remove the cartoon.
What content did the 2022 NCERT rationalisation remove from school textbooks?
The 2022 rationalisation deleted the entire chapter 'Kings and Chronicles: The Mughal Courts' from Class 12 History, removed chapters titled 'Central Islamic Lands', 'Confrontation of Cultures', and 'The Industrial Revolution' from Class 11 History, and dropped chapters on popular struggles and challenges to democracy from Political Science textbooks across classes. It also removed five pages on the Emergency period from Class 12 Political Science, a description of Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse as 'a Brahmin from Pune', and climate-related content including a chapter on the greenhouse effect from Class 11 Geography.
All sources
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- 13A saga of plagiarismT.K. Rajalakshmi — 6 November 2003
- 14NewsNCERT amends lessons on Sikhism10 November 2006
- 15Cartoon issue was first raised by RPI2 April 2012
- 16NewsNCERT asked to remove Ambedkar cartoon from textbooks: Sibal11 May 2012
- 17Fight for pride13 June 2012
- 18Cartoon row: NCERT plays safe, drops six 'offensive' cartoons from textbooksRitika Chopra — 2012-09-11
- 19NCERT in trouble over painting of Jibril, Muslim pilgrims in history textbookRitika Chopra — India Today — 19 September 2012
- 20NCERT Textbooks For Classes 2 To 5 Reinforce Gender Stereotypes: StudyMaya Sharma — 30 June 2017
- 21NewsNCERT textbooks riddled with gender stereotypes: Study27 June 2017
- 22NCERT clarifies over 'Aksai Chin-China' row2017-08-23
- 23NCERT to replace map showing Aksai Chin as disputed area in Class 12 textbookNeelam Pandey — 13 May 2017
- 25Fear of ideasZiya Us Salam — 11 October 2017
- 26NewsNCERT to review books for 1st time since 2007Manash Pratim Gohain — 15 May 2017
- 27In new NCERT book, Gujarat anti-Muslim riots now called Gujarat riotsRitika Chopra — 24 March 2018
- 29NewsHistory chapters removed from school books to reduce pressure9 April 2019
- 30A 'chhokri selling mangoes' in Class 1 NCERT Hindi textbook causes social media ruckusKritika Sharma — 2021-05-20
- 32Why Has NCERT Removed Chapters On The Mughals From Its Class 12 History Syllabus?Mudit Chhikara — 4 April 2023
- 36Purged from NCERT Textbooks: Hindu extremists' dislike for Mahatama Gandhi, RSS ban after assassinationRitika Chopra — 5 April 2023
- 38Express Investigation — Part 1: From Emergency to Gujarat riots, lessons of past deleted from textbooks of futureRitika Chopra — 18 June 2022
- 39Express Investigation — Part 2: Key deletions on caste, minorities in revised school textbooksRitika Chopra — 19 June 2022
- 40Express Investigation — Part 3: Textbook revision slashes portion in history on Islamic rulers of IndiaRitika Chopra — 20 June 2022
- 41NewsBiology Without Darwin. Next, Physics Without Newton and Einstein?Dinesh C. Sharma — 2023-04-23
- 42NewsH for Hindu Rashtra: Is a 'Rationalised' Periodic Table of Elements in the Making?Rohit Kumar — 2023-04-23
- 43Science community slams NCERT's move to delete Darwin's theory of evolution from books: 'Travesty of education'Soniya Agrawal — 2023-04-22
- 44NewsScientists slam removal of Darwin's theory from class X syllabusRajesh Kumar Thakur — 2023-04-22
- 46News'Embarrassed to be associated with these textbooks': Advisors ask NCERT to drop their names from political science booksRitika Chopra — 2023-06-09
- 47NewsNCERT textbooks: Why some Indian scholars are disowning books they wroteZoya Mateen — 19 June 2023
- 52NCERT tweaks Class 12th History book: Harappans indigenous, doubts over Aryan migrationRitika Chopra — 5 April 2024
- 53News9 'interesting' changes NCERT is making in CBSE Class XI, XII Political Science textbooksSaurav Pandey — 5 April 2024
- 54Babri Masjid to Chinese aggression: Comparing changes in NCERT Class 12 textbooksSubodh Kumar — 2024-06-18
- 57NCERT introduces 'criticism of secularism' in textbook: Parties disregard equality, prioritise minoritySourav Roy Barman — 16 June 2024
- 58NCERT's mythology link to Chandrayaan-3 draws scientific flakPuran Choudhary — 2023-10-22
- 59Scientists flag NCERT's 'misleading' Chandrayaan content, demand withdrawalKalyan Ray — 30 October 2023
- 61Special NCERT module on Partition gets Congress' goatPreetha Nair — 2025-08-17
- 63NewsNCERT module blames Jinnah, Congress for Partition, triggers row2025-08-18
- 66NewsNCERT insists all new school textbooks were 'named thoughtfully'2025-04-18
- 70NewsPreamble of the Constitution dropped from select new NCERT textbooks5 August 2024
- 73NCERT Social Science Textbook: Class 8 new book flags 'brutality' of Mughals, with no-blame disclaimerHarigovind — 17 July 2025
- 76New NCERT social science chapter on colonial rule skips Tipu Sultan, Haidar Ali, Anglo-Mysore warsAbhinaya Harigovind — 18 July 2025
- 77NewsNew NCERT textbook explains how 'colonial powers stole India's wealth'Maitri Porecha — 17 July 2025
- 78NewsNCERT textbook sparks controversy over 'inaccuracies' about Ahom dynastyKangkan Kalita — 14 August 2025
- 80NewsNCERT Class 8 Social Science book sparks royal outrage: Map 'factually baseless, historically misleading,' says Jaisalmer kingApeksha Tanwar — 5 August 2025
- 82NewsSix-Page Chapter On Ghaznavids, Somnath Temple Demolition Added To New NCERT BookTanushka Dutta — 8 December 2025
- 83NCERT expands section on 'Ghaznavid invasions' in Class 7 textbook7 December 2025
- 84NCERT's Ghazni chapter: A case for what works and what needs careDeebashree Mohanty — 27 December 2025
- 85'Ghaznavid invasions' get bigger section in new class 7 NCERT textbookAbhinaya Harigovind — 9 December 2025
- 87NewsGraft in judiciary, cases backlog in NCERT book2026-02-25
- 88MSN
- 93NCERT's new Art textbook covers up Mohenjodaro's 'Dancing Girl'Ritika Chopra — 15 June 2026
- 95NewsName, content of NCERT class 6 Kannada textbook turn contentiousJayanth R — 24 June 2026
- 96SIR, Emergency in, 'secularism' out: Changes to Class 9 NCERT book spark rowPoorva Joshi — 26 June 2026
- 98NCERT Class 9 book describes judiciary as 'impartial and independent'Sanjay Maurya — 26 June 2026
- 100NewsRevised NCERT Class 8 textbook drops judicial corruption, backlog and electoral bonds references Check key changesRewati Karan — 8 July 2026
- 103NewsDear NCERT, What History Should India's Students Read? One That Fetches Votes?S. Irfan Habib — 24 June 2022
- 104NewsWhat India's right-wing gov't is erasing from school textbooksSrishti Jaswal — 14 April 2023
- 105NewsIndia's textbook purge: Why is Modi so scared of history?Apoorvanand Jha — 13 April 2023
- 106MagazineIndia's School Textbooks Are the Latest Battleground for Hindu NationalismSanya Mansoor — 6 April 2023
- 107NewsIndian government accused of rewriting history after edits to schoolbooksHannah Ellis Petersen — 6 April 2023
- 108NewsSchool Social Science Textbook Revisions in India Kick Up ControversyKavita Chowdhury — 27 July 2022
- 109If NCERT Has its Way, the Study of Indian History Will Move Entirely Outside of IndiaRomila Thapar — 2 May 2023
- 110NCERT's attempt to change history in school textbooks undermines our diverse pastAnshuman Kar — 2 May 2025
- 111Mughals in NCERT Class VIII textbook: An inaccurate retelling with a communal twistRuchika Sharma — 17 July 2025
- 112Historian Ruchika Sharma criticises NCERT's revised history textbooks, calls them communal literatureAsad ur Rahman — 29 July 2025