Odisha Crime Branch arrests ex-SCERT Director over ₹175 crore textbook errors
Synopsis
A former senior education bureaucrat in Odisha has been arrested for criminal negligence — not fraud or embezzlement, but for approving school textbooks riddled with factual, scientific, and geographical errors. The fallout: an estimated ₹175 crore loss to the exchequer and a generation of students handed flawed learning material under the NEP-2020 rollout.
Key Takeaways
Manoj Kumar Padhy , former Director of TE and SCERT Odisha , was arrested on 14 July by the Crime Branch of Odisha Police .
The case involves errors in school textbooks for Classes I to VIII , with an estimated wrongful loss of ₹175 crore to the state exchequer.
08/2026 — was registered under Sections 316(5), 201, 3(5), and 61(2) of the BNS, 2023 .
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi ordered the criminal investigation on 11 July , following a committee report chaired by the Development Commissioner .
Padhy and three Assistant Directors were suspended; disciplinary proceedings were initiated against six other Assistant Directors .
Padhy was produced before the JMFC-III court in Cuttack following his arrest.
The Crime Branch of Odisha Police on Tuesday, 14 July arrested Manoj Kumar Padhy, former Director of Teacher Education (TE) and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), over alleged criminal negligence linked to widespread errors in school textbooks for Classes I to VIII. The irregularities have caused an estimated wrongful loss of approximately ₹175 crore to the state exchequer, according to the Crime Branch.
The Arrest and Charges
The Crime Branch registered Case No. 08/2026 following a written complaint filed by Madhusmita Sahoo, the current Director of TE and SCERT. Padhy, an OAS (SS) officer aged 57, was subjected to marathon interrogation by multiple Crime Branch teams before being formally arrested. He was subsequently scheduled to be produced before the Court of the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC-III) in Cuttack.
The case has been registered under Sections 316(5), 201, 3(5), and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, covering charges related to criminal conspiracy and negligence in public duty.
What the Crime Branch Alleged
According to the Crime Branch, Padhy was entrusted with the overall supervision, coordination, monitoring, and approval of the textbook development process under the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 during his tenure as Director. The agency stated that he 'dishonestly failed to discharge the official duties entrusted to him and knowingly approved and forwarded print-ready manuscripts for publication without ensuring verification of their factual, scientific, geographical, translation and pictorial contents amounting to criminal negligence.'
These alleged acts of omission, the Crime Branch said, directly led to the publication and distribution of error-laden textbooks across the state, inflicting both financial damage and significant injury to public interest.
Chief Minister's Intervention
The arrest follows a directive issued by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on 11 July, ordering a criminal investigation into the entire process of preparation, approval, and publication of the textbooks. He also directed the Director of SCERT to lodge a First Information Report (FIR) with the Superintendent of Police (SP), Crime Branch, to facilitate an independent probe.
Earlier, the Chief Minister had constituted a committee chaired by the Development Commissioner to ascertain the root causes of the errors. Based on that committee's findings, Padhy and three Assistant Directors were placed under suspension, while disciplinary proceedings were initiated against six other Assistant Directors.
Scale of the Controversy
The textbook irregularities — spanning factual, scientific, geographical, translation, and pictorial errors — affected curriculum material for students from Class I through Class VIII across Odisha. The scale of the controversy prompted the state government to move swiftly from administrative action to criminal investigation within days. Notably, this is one of the more significant accountability actions taken in India's school education sector in recent years, with a senior bureaucrat facing arrest over textbook quality failures.
What Happens Next
With Padhy's arrest, the Crime Branch probe is expected to widen to examine the roles of other officials involved in the approval and publication chain. The cases against the suspended and charge-sheeted Assistant Directors remain active. Observers will watch whether the investigation surfaces systemic lapses in the NEP-2020 rollout process at the state level.
Point of View
Not merely administrative blame. However, the ₹175 crore loss figure invites scrutiny: how much reflects the cost of reprinting and redistribution versus the original publication, and who else in the approval chain — publishers, content reviewers, political overseers — escapes liability? The NEP-2020 rollout has been rushed across several states, and Odisha's case may be the first criminal test of whether bureaucratic negligence in curriculum implementation can be prosecuted. If the probe stops at Padhy, it risks looking like accountability theatre rather than systemic reform.
NationPress
14 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Manoj Kumar Padhy arrested in Odisha?
Manoj Kumar Padhy, former Director of TE and SCERT Odisha, was arrested on 14 July by the Crime Branch for alleged criminal negligence in approving school textbooks for Classes I to VIII that contained widespread factual, scientific, geographical, translation, and pictorial errors. The Crime Branch says his failure to verify the manuscripts before approving them for publication caused an estimated ₹175 crore loss to the state exchequer.
What sections of law has Padhy been charged under?
Padhy has been charged under Sections 316(5), 201, 3(5), and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which cover criminal conspiracy and negligence in the discharge of official duties.
Who ordered the criminal investigation into the Odisha textbook errors?
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi ordered the criminal investigation on 11 July, directing the Director of SCERT to file an FIR with the SP, Crime Branch. He had earlier constituted a committee chaired by the Development Commissioner to examine the root causes of the errors.
How many officials have faced action over the Odisha textbook controversy?
Padhy and three Assistant Directors were placed under suspension following the committee's findings. Disciplinary proceedings were also initiated against six other Assistant Directors. Padhy is the first to face criminal arrest in connection with the case.
What is the estimated financial loss from the Odisha textbook irregularities?
According to the Crime Branch, the publication and distribution of error-laden textbooks has caused an estimated wrongful loss of approximately ₹175 crore to the Odisha state exchequer, in addition to causing significant injury to public interest.
