Education Ministry orders probe into NCERT blacklisting case over legal lapse

The Education Ministry ordered a probe after the Delhi High Court granted relief to a paper supplier blacklisted by NCERT. Minister Dharmendra Pradhan sought accountability from officials for allegedly failing to effectively defend the decision during court proceedings

New Delhi: The education ministry has ordered a probe into NCERT’s decision to blacklist a firm which was tasked with paper supply for textbooks and failed to meet the timeline, sources said.

Bafna Global Venture Private Limited moved the Delhi High Court on June 24 citing a blacklisting order by NCERT issued on June 22 barring it for two years from participating in the procurement process of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

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While nobody from the NCERT appeared for the high court hearing, the court granted impunity to the firm from coercive action till further orders. The court also restrained the NCERT from invoking over Rs 6 crore bank guarantee furnished by the paper supplier.

“Taking serious note of reports that NCERT failed to effectively defend its decision to blacklist a paper supplier before the Delhi High Court, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has directed strict action against the officers responsible for the lapse,” a source said.

“The minister has ordered accountability for the officials be fixed who failed to take the necessary legal steps, reinforcing a zero-tolerance approach towards administrative and legal lapses while ensuring greater accountability in textbook production and procurement,” the source added.

The firm argued in the court that the delay in printing of books was because hydrogen peroxide, the bleaching agent for the purpose of manufacturing of paper, was not available to the war in Iran. The case is now listed for July 20 in the Delhi High Court.