Delhi University drops Manusmriti from Sanskrit syllabus; V-C says ‘won't be taught in any course'

Delhi University (DU) on Thursday officially confirmed that Manusmriti will not be taught in any course offered by its School of Open Learning or other departments. This announcement came after the ancient Hindu scripture was included as part of a new undergraduate Sanskrit course, leading to backlash from students and teachers.

“Our stand remains the same. Manusmriti will not be taught in any course in DU. The university had made that clear in the past as well. The text has been removed from the Sanskrit department’s ‘Dharamshastra Studies’. In the future also, whenever it comes to our notice that the text has been suggested for studying, the administration will remove it,” Delhi University (DU) vice chancellor Yogesh Singh was quoted by Hindustah Times.

The university also posted an official statement on X (formerly Twitter), stating: “University of Delhi will not teach Manusmriti in any course. The ‘Dharmashastra Studies’ paper, where it was listed as recommended reading, has been deleted.”

Manusmriti was previously listed in a four-credit Sanskrit course titled ‘Dharmashastra Studies’, part of the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework (UGCF) aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The same course also included other ancient Indian texts like the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas, and Arthashastra.