NCERT Warns Against Fake Textbooks Amid Emergency Chapter Controversy

The National Council of Educational Research and Training has found itself at the center of two separate educational controversies, one involving a disputed historical account and the other concerning cultural representation in language textbooks.

The first dispute erupted over a chapter in the Class 9 social science curriculum that deals with the Emergency period of 1975-77, which has sparked considerable public debate. In response to the uproar, NCERT issued a public alert warning that an illegitimate and pirated version of the Class 9 Social Science Part 1 book, titled "Understanding Society: India and Beyond," has been circulating online through various social media networks, websites, and messaging applications.

The council stressed that these unofficial copies are not authorized for distribution and may contain distorted, incomplete, or wholly fabricated content that should not be trusted by students, teachers, or parents. NCERT has made it clear that legal proceedings will be initiated against those involved in this piracy, and it has directed all stakeholders to rely solely on verified sources such as the official NCERT portal, the ePathshala app, and licensed sellers for accessing authentic educational materials.

The council reiterated that its publications are never released through informal channels before their official launch, and any such circulation is not only against its policies but also a criminal violation under the Copyright Act of 1957.

The contentious section of the textbook that has drawn widespread attention recounts the imposition of the Emergency in June 1975, attributing it to rising public discontent with the administration headed by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

According to the chapter, the government invoked the Emergency citing internal disturbances, which led to the suspension of most Fundamental Rights, the imposition of press censorship, and the detention of numerous political figures and activists. This portrayal has reignited political and historical debates about how the period should be taught to young students.

𝐁𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬

NCERT has noticed the circulation of unauthorized and pirated copies of its textbooks in print and digital formats. A fake version of the 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐈𝐗 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏… pic.twitter.com/Ep3FfOmO8M

— NCERT (@ncert) June 24, 2026

In a parallel development, a separate controversy has emerged in Karnataka, where an education rights organization has taken issue with the newly introduced Class 6 Kannada textbook published by NCERT.

The People's Alliance for Fundamental Rights to Education has accused the council of deliberately infusing religious motifs into the curriculum, pointing to the textbook's title, 'Krishna,' as evidence of what they describe as a systematic effort to saffronize educational content under the broader framework of the National Education Policy 2020.

The group's principal convener has argued that the textbook marginalizes Karnataka's distinctive cultural fabric and its varied culinary traditions, while ignoring the state's literary giants and social reformers, including Adikavi Pampa, Kuvempu, Kota Shivaram Karanth, and Basavanna, whose ideas have profoundly shaped regional identity.

The organization has questioned the logic behind selecting a name like 'Krishna' for the textbook, contending that it sidelines the secular and progressive heritage of Karnataka in favor of a narrow religious focus, and has called this approach a troubling departure from inclusive education.