New Delhi:

A proposal to teach Manusmriti (Laws of Manu) to Delhi University’s LLB students is slated to be discussed in a meeting of its Academic Council on Friday, a move which has drawn criticism from a section of teachers.

The Faculty of Law has sought approval from the highest decision-making body of 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 pertain 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 — are proposed to be introduced for the students.

The decision to suggest the revisions was unanimously approved in a June 24 meeting of the faculty’s Course Committee headed by its dean Anju Vali Tikoo, according to the minutes of the meeting.

Objecting to the move, the Left-backed Social Democratic Teachers Front (SDTF) has written to DU Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh stating that the manuscript propagates a “regressive” outlook towards the rights of women and the marginalised communities and that it is against a “progressive education system”.

In a letter to Singh, SDTF general secretary SS Barwal and chairperson SK Sagar said recommending Manusmriti to students as a suggested reading “is highly objectionable as this text is adverse to the progress and education of women and marginalised communities in India”.

“In Manusmriti, in several sections, it opposes women’s education and equal rights. Introduction of any section or part of Manusmriti is against the basic structure of our Constitution and principles of Indian Constitution,” the letter read.

The SDTF demanded that the proposal be immediately withdrawn and it should not be approved in the Academic Council’s meeting scheduled to be held on July 12.

It further requested the vice-chancellor to issue an order to the law faculty and the concerned staff members to continue teaching the paper jurisprudence based on the existing syllabus. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP President Ajit Pawar declared that Manusmriti has no place in the state and attacked the opposition for setting a fake narrative in this regard, in the run-up to the state Assembly elections slated for September-October.

“No verse from ‘Manusmriti’ has been included in the school curriculum. No such attempt can be made in the state. Manusmriti is not supported by the state government. The opposition knows that issues like ‘Manusmriti’ have no place in Maharashtra, yet the opposition is deliberately trying to spread misunderstandings by raising issues in this way,” he said at the press conference after the state cabinet meeting on the eve of the Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra Legislature from Thursday.

“It is not right to do politics in this way, Maharashtra cannot afford it,” he added.

Mr Pawar said that Maharashtra is known for implementing the progressive thoughts of Shivaji Phule Shau and Dr B.R. Ambedkar as he reiterated that ‘Manusmriti’ has no place in the state.

He was responding to the opposition’s claim that the state government wants to include verses from ‘Manusmriti’ in the curriculum. Pawar said that School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar has already clarified that the government has no plan to include verses from ‘Manusmriti’ and called upon the opposition to stop doing politics on this issue.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)