No question of including controversial portion of any script: Dharmendra Pradhan on DU Manusmriti row

NEW DELHI: Amid a row over the proposal to teach Manusmriti to law students of Delhi University, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday said there is no question of including any controversial portion of any script in the curriculum. While noting that Delhi University Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh had rejected the proposal to teach Manusmriti to law students on Thursday itself, Pradhan said the government is committed to upholding the true spirit of the Constitution.

"Yesterday, some information came to us that Manusmriti will be part of Law Faculty course (in DU). I enquired and talked to Delhi University Vice Chancellor. He assured me that some law faculty member have proposed some changes in the jurisprudence chapter," Pradhan told reporters in Hyderabad. "There is no endorsement of any such proposal in the Academic Council. Yesterday itself, the Vice Chancellor rejected that proposal. We all are committed to our Constitution, to futuristic approach. Government is committed to upholding the true spirit and letter of Constitution. There is no question of including any controversial portion of any script," he said.

A proposal to teach Manusmriti (Laws of Manu) to Delhi University's LLB students was slated to be discussed in a meeting of its Academic Council on Friday, a move which drew criticism from a section of teachers. The Faculty of Law had sought approval from the highest decision-making body of the Delhi University (DU) to revise the syllabus of its first and third-year students to teach them Manusmriti. The changes in the syllabus of the jurisprudence paper pertained to semesters one and six of LLB. According to the revisions, two readings on Manusmriti -- Manusmriti with the Manubhasya of Medhatithi by G N Jha and Commentary of Manu Smriti - Smritichandrika by T Kristnasawmi Iyer -- were proposed to be introduced for the students.

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The university's Vice-chancellor had on Thursday clarified that the suggestions have been rejected and the students will not be taught the manuscript. "A proposal by the Faculty of Law was submitted to the Delhi University. In the proposal, they had suggested changes in the paper titled Jurisprudence. One of the changes was to include readings on Manusmriti. We have rejected both the suggested readings and the amendments proposed by the Faculty. Nothing of this sort will be taught to students," Singh had said in a video message shared by the university.