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Odisha Textbook Flaws: High Court Grants Arrest Protection
28 Jul
Summary
- High court granted interim arrest protection to three suspended SCERT officials.
- 1,678 errors were found in newly introduced textbooks for Classes I to VIII.
- A former SCERT director was previously arrested for alleged negligence.
The Orissa High Court on Tuesday provided interim protection from arrest to three suspended assistant directors of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT). This order was issued while hearing their anticipatory bail petitions concerning the investigation into significant errors in school textbooks. The interim protection against coercive action is effective until August 3.
The implicated officials were suspended after the discovery of 1,678 factual, geographical, and printing mistakes in textbooks for students from Class I to VIII. This led to public outcry regarding the quality of educational materials. Consequently, the state government initiated a crime branch investigation.
The crime branch registered a case on July 13, citing offenses such as criminal breach of trust and conspiracy. During the probe, printing records and tender documents were seized from SCERT and related authorities. Previously, former SCERT director Manoj Kumar Padhi was arrested on charges of criminal negligence for allegedly approving flawed manuscripts.
