Last Updated on July 13, 2024 by News Desk
On Friday, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed the controversy surrounding the proposal to include Manusmriti in the curriculum for law students at Delhi University (DU). He firmly stated that no controversial content from any script would be included in the university’s curriculum.
Pradhan highlighted that DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh had already dismissed the proposal. He emphasized the government’s dedication to the Constitution, assuring that no such proposal had been endorsed by the Academic Council.
Upon learning about the potential inclusion of Manusmriti in the Law Faculty course, Pradhan consulted with the Vice Chancellor. Singh assured him that while some faculty members had suggested changes to the jurisprudence chapter, the proposal was immediately rejected.
“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.
The controversy began when a proposal to introduce Manusmriti (Laws of Manu) into the curriculum for DU’s LLB students was set to be discussed in an Academic Council meeting. Some teachers criticized the Faculty of Law’s attempt to revise the syllabus for first and third-year students to include Manusmriti. The proposed changes to the jurisprudence paper suggested readings from “Manusmriti with the Manubhasya of Medhatithi” by G.N. Jha and “Commentary of Manu Smriti – Smritichandrika” by T. Kristnasawmi Iyer.
However, Vice Chancellor Singh 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.”
