Agartala, February 28, 2026: The Supreme Court of India has issued strict directions to all States and Union Territories, including Tripura, to immediately seize and withdraw a Class 8 Social Science textbook published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), following concerns raised over its contents.

The directions were passed on February 26 during the hearing of a suo motu writ petition (Civil No. 1/2026) titled In Re: Social Science Textbook for Grade 8 (Part-2) and Ancillary Issues. The court ordered that all physical and digital copies of the book “Exploring Society, India and Beyond” currently in circulation must be seized and removed from public access with immediate effect.

In an official communication dated February 27, Shuvodeep Roy, Advocate-on-Record and Standing Counsel for the Government of Tripura, informed the School Education Department about the apex court’s directives. The letter was addressed to Dr. Milind Dharmrao Ramkete, IAS, Secretary of the Education (School) Department.

As per the court order, the Union Government, NCERT, and State Education Departments have been instructed to ensure complete removal of the textbook from schools, storage facilities, retail outlets, and online platforms. The court further made it the personal responsibility of the Director of NCERT and principals of concerned schools to seal the seized copies and stop any teaching based on the book’s content.

The Supreme Court has also imposed a blanket ban on any further printing or digital dissemination of the textbook, warning that any attempt to circulate the same content under alternative titles would amount to willful disobedience of court orders.

All Principal Secretaries of Education Departments across States and Union Territories have been directed to submit compliance reports through affidavits within two weeks. Accordingly, Tripura has been asked to complete necessary actions and provide supporting documents by March 8, enabling the State to file its affidavit before the next hearing scheduled for March 11, 2026.

The matter remains under active consideration of the apex court.