On a day the Supreme Court observed that there appeared to be a "well-orchestrated conspiracy" to defame the judiciary, and imposed a "complete blanket ban" on the Class 8 NCERT book, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan expressed regret over the incident.
The minister, on Thursday, promised to fix accountability and initiate action against those involved in drafting the controversial portion.
He said the government has full respect for the judiciary and has no intention of disrespecting the institution.
"I am very sad at what has happened and express regret... There was no intention to insult the judiciary. An inquiry will be conducted and accountability fixed. Action will be taken against those involved in drafting the chapter. As soon as we got to know (about it), the circulation of the textbooks was put on hold," the minister was quoted as saying.
Pradhan observed that in a democratic country like India, the judiciary is supreme, and the government has utmost respect for it. "We have taken the issue very seriously. The court's directives will be complied with," the minister said.
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) social science textbook for Class 8 in question states that corruption, a massive backlog of cases, and the lack of adequate number of judges are among the challenges faced by the judicial system.
While the NCERT apologised for "inappropriate content" in the textbook, and said it would be rewritten in consultation with appropriate authorities, a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant had remarked that "They have fired the gunshot. The judiciary is bleeding."
The bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, issued show cause notices to the NCERT director and the secretary of the department of school education and asked them to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against those responsible.
The apex court also ordered that all copies, physical and digital, be seized.