'Cannot decide on policies of Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan', says Delhi HC; PIL on NCERT History Book content on Mughal rulers withdrawn

A petition seeking Delhi High Court's directions to the NCERT to remove and rectify a paragraph related to policies of Mughal rulers granting concessions for construction or repairing of temples published in a class 12 History textbook was withdrawn on Wednesday.

The petitioners Sanjeev Vikal and Dapinder Singh had sought the high court's direction to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to remove from the class 12 History book "The Themes of Indian History", a paragraph that read: "Even when temples were destroyed during the war, grants were later issued for the repairs as we know from the reigns of Shah-Jahan and Aurangzeb.

The Bench of Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh refused to entertain the matter and allowed the withdrawal of the plea stating "Cannot decide on policies of Aurangzeb and Shah Jahan."

Advocates Hitesh Baisla and Kanak Choudhary appeared for petitioners sought directions to the Union of India to keep a check on the NCERT to amend the wrong section of the above-said class XII history textbook.

"It has now become questionable that in the absence of any physical proof or record, how NCERT could promote misconception in the minds of an indefinite number of students and the ironically same has been carried out since last many decades," Advocate Baisla submitted.

The plea stated that the said textbook was published without any valid source of information and was inserted just to glorify the reign of Mughal Emperors Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.

The plea further stated that all this "baseless and concocted information" can lead to the situation of sedition and the development of riot cases across the country. It will also end the harmony and peace of society.

"We all know in the ancient times, the history was written to make the dictators happy. If we do not change the impugned publication, it may cause the continuation of false and wrong information to be spread amongst the youth of our country or whosoever read such books or records," read the plea.

( With inputs from ANI )

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