The Odisha government has ordered a criminal investigation into the alleged errors found in school textbooks for Classes I to VIII, with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi directing the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) to lodge an FIR with the Crime Branch.

Taking serious note of the issue, the Chief Minister has instructed the SCERT Director to file a formal complaint before the Crime Branch Superintendent of Police (SP), paving the way for a comprehensive criminal investigation into the entire textbook preparation and publication process.

The latest move comes after the state government had earlier constituted a high-level committee headed by the Development Commissioner to examine the reasons behind the mistakes in the textbooks.

Based on the committee’s findings, the government had already taken disciplinary action against several officials. Former SCERT Director Manoj Padhi, along with three Assistant Directors — Pralipta Mishra, Dilip Kumar Sahu and Bharati Tudu — were placed under suspension. In addition, departmental disciplinary proceedings were initiated against six other Assistant Directors.

The committee also recommended 14 corrective measures to prevent similar lapses in the future. These include the preparation of a Master Errata Register by SCERT, ensuring that all students receive corrected information, and the establishment of a Quality Assurance Cell within SCERT to strengthen the textbook review mechanism.

Among the key reforms, the government has also decided that no textbook will be sent for printing without mandatory approval of its language, content, illustrations and factual accuracy. The objective is to ensure multiple levels of scrutiny before textbooks are published and distributed.

The Odisha government said the measures are aimed at protecting students’ academic interests, strengthening accountability within the education system, and preventing such errors from recurring in future editions of school textbooks.