The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar is set to examine the academic role of historian Michel Danino after a directive from the Supreme Court asking governments and public bodies to distance themselves from him and two other experts associated with the preparation of a disputed NCERT textbook.

The institute confirmed that a standing committee will review Danino’s appointment as a guest professor in light of the court’s instruction. The panel will assess the situation and decide on the future of his association with the institute.

The review follows controversy surrounding a Class 8 social science chapter that addressed corruption within the judiciary. The chapter, which appeared in an NCERT textbook, was later withdrawn after criticism and legal scrutiny.

Michel Danino, who has been honoured with the Padma Shri for his contributions to literature and education, headed the curricular group responsible for developing social science textbooks for NCERT. Two other contributors to the disputed chapter — Suparna Diwakar and Alok Prasanna Kumar — have also been drawn into the controversy.

Attempts to contact Danino, Diwakar and Kumar for their reactions did not receive any response.

Supreme Court Calls for Disassociation

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court directed the Union government and all state administrations to discontinue associations with the three individuals involved in drafting the controversial chapter.

The court observed that the section of the textbook contained material it considered inappropriate regarding the judiciary. According to the bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, the content either showed a lack of accurate understanding of the Indian judicial system or created a misleading impression of it for young students.

The judges also indicated that, in view of these concerns, there was no justification for the individuals to continue participating in the preparation or approval of academic curricula or textbooks in the future.

IIT–Gandhinagar Initiates Review

Following the Supreme Court’s direction, IIT–Gandhinagar has begun internal discussions on Danino’s association with the institute.

A senior official stated that the institute’s standing committee will evaluate the matter in accordance with the court’s observations before making a final decision.

Danino has been linked with IIT–Gandhinagar since 2011 in the capacity of a guest professor. Born in France and later becoming an Indian citizen, he received the Padma Shri in 2017 for his work in the fields of literature and education. He also served on a central government committee tasked with developing a new curriculum framework under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Alok Prasanna Kumar is known as a co-founder of the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, while Suparna Diwakar is an education professional and board member at the School of Inspired Leadership.

The dispute over the withdrawn NCERT chapter has sparked wider discussion about the role of experts in designing school curricula and the need for accountability in educational content.