A teachers’ body has complained to President Droupadi Murmu that no action has been taken on its plea, forwarded to the government by the President herself, for the withdrawal of Delhi University’s revised undergraduate law syllabus that incorporates “Brahmanical” viewpoints.

The Social Democratic Teachers Front (SDTF) had sent its first letter to the President — the ex officio Visitor of DU — against the university’s new LLB jurisprudence syllabus in mid-July.

This was just after DU’s academic council had adopted several controversial changes to the syllabus, although it rejected a recommendation to prescribe two books on the Manusmriti — the ancient text that codified the Hindu caste system — from the list of reading materials.

On August 8, the President’s office forwarded the letter to the education ministry, asking it to take appropriate action and inform the teachers’ body.

On Sunday, the SDTF sent a reminder to the President seeking her immediate intervention, saying no action had been taken on the original petition nor anything communicated to the teachers’ body.

“This continued silence from the university administration is deeply concerning and appears to be a deliberate attempt to sideline our legitimate academic concerns,” the second letter said.

“In the light of the unresponsive behaviour from the University of Delhi, we request for your urgent intervention.”

In its original petition, the teachers’ body had argued that the university’s rejection of the recommendation to include two books on the Manusmriti was a “smokescreen”.

“The removal of two explicit Manusmriti texts is a mere smokescreen and a diversionary tactic, as the syllabus remains flooded with ancient Brahmanical theories and Manuism in substance,” it said. “The syllabus seems to lack representation of diverse legal philosophies, particularly those addressing marginalised groups or critical legal studies.

“There is a widely felt need for law students to be sensitised about Dalit jurisprudence, feminist jurisprudence, disabled’s jurisprudence, Ambedkarite/ Gandhian jurisprudential thoughts etc, but the same are completely and deliberately absent (from) the syllabus.”

SDTF chairman S.K. Sagar said the revised syllabus was full of “discriminatory, divisive, archaic, religious thoughts from the Brahmanical past”.