Amid row over inclusion of ‘Manusmriti’ and ‘Baburnama’ in History syllabus, Delhi University’s vice chancellor Professor Yogesh Singh on Tuesday clarified that there is no plan to introduce Manusmriti or Baburnama in any course or study material at the university. He stated that such subjects are neither under consideration nor will they be included in the future.
“Baburnama is the autobiography of a tyrant. It has no relevance in the present time, and there is no need to teach it,” Professor Singh said. He emphasised that under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, DU is focusing on introducing new courses aligned with Indian traditions that will benefit the country and society. “We are working towards Viksit Bharat and designing study material that contributes to the vision of making India a developed nation by 2047,” he added.
This decision to incorporate Manusmriti and Tuzuk-i-Baburi (Baburnama), the memoirs of Mughal emperor Babur, in the syllabus has already been approved by the history department’s Joint Committee of Courses. However, it has yet to be cleared by DU’s Academic Council and Executive Council, which are expected to discuss it in the coming weeks.
This is not the first time Manusmriti has faced opposition at DU. A similar issue took place in July 2024 when Delhi University had found itself in trouble after the Faculty of Law suggested teaching the ancient Hindu legal text Manusmriti to the LLB students. The Faculty of Law had submitted a proposal to include the Hindu manuscript in unit 5 of an undergraduate programme which invited major criticism from a large section of teachers.
On the issue that led to an uproar in the entire Varsity then, the Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had also stated that there is no question of including any controversial portion of any script.
With the proposal now set to be scrapped, DU will explore other options for the syllabus while ensuring alignment with the National Education Policy 2020.
