DU Vice-Chancellor rejects law faculty proposal to teach 'Manusmriti' in curriculum

In a letter to SS Barwal, the general secretary, DU VC and S K Sagar, Chairperson, SDTF, raised strong objection on recommending Manusmriti in a curriculum. They said that such a recommendation is highly objectionable because the text is detrimental to the advancement and education of women and marginalized communities in India.

DU Vice-Chancellor rejects law faculty proposal to teach 'Manusmriti' in curriculum

Delhi University's Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh has rejected the proposal to include 'Manusmriti' in the law curriculum. The faculty of law made a suggestion earlier to revise the jurisprudence paper's syllabus. The proposal aimed to include readings from 'Manusmriti' and was set for discussion for today; i.e. July 12, faced swift criticism. A group of teachers argued that the text is regressive towards women and marginalised communities.

"Delhi University received a proposal from the Faculty of Law, in which changes were made in Jurisprudence one of the courses. They gave two suggestive texts for Medhatithi's Concept of State and Law- Manusmriti with Manubhashi and the second one was Commentary of Manusmriti. So these two texts and the amendments they made were rejected by Delhi University, nothing like this will be taught at Delhi University", Delhi University VC Yogesh Singh said in an official statement.

The Left-backed Social Democratic Teachers Front (SDTF) has reached out to DU VC suggesting 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 SS Barwal, the general secretary, DU VC and S K Sagar, Chairperson, SDTF, raised strong objection on recommending Manusmriti in a curriculum. They said that such a recommendation is highly objectionable because the text is detrimental to the advancement and education of women and marginalized 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 further stated.

Read More:

CLAT 2025 Registration Dates OUT, Check CLAT Application Process, Eligibility Criteria, Steps to Apply