Odisha Textbook Error Probe Widens, Crime Branch Questions SCERT Officials and Private Printers

18 Jul 2026, 10:21 by Vinay Kakkad · KalingaTV

The Odisha Crime Branch has widened its investigation into the large-scale errors found in government school textbooks, extending scrutiny beyond senior education officials to private printing agencies as investigators seek to determine where the lapses originated in the publication process.

As part of the expanded probe, four Crime Branch teams simultaneously visited three key institutions in Bhubaneswar on Friday—the Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA), the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), and the Textbook Production and Marketing Directorate (TBPM). Investigators examined records, collected documents and questioned officials connected with the preparation, approval and printing of textbooks for Classes I to VIII.

The agency is preparing to question all 15 Assistant Directors of SCERT who were involved in the textbook development process. Members of the editorial board, review committee and expert panel are also expected to be summoned, while the core committee responsible for approving the textbooks may be examined if investigators consider it necessary.

The investigation has also turned toward two private printing press owners after investigators received information suggesting they may have been aware of the mistakes before the books were circulated. They are likely to be questioned in the coming days.

At OSEPA, Crime Branch officials focused on records relating to textbook planning, sanctioned expenditure, approval procedures, printing volumes and distribution schedules. Deputy Director Itishree Nayak, who oversees the textbook section, was questioned, while investigators sought detailed information on the number of books planned, financial approvals, project timelines, expenditure and the processes followed before publication. Officials were directed to submit all relevant records, including financial sanction documents and project-related files, to the Crime Branch headquarters by the end of the day.

Another investigation team visited SCERT, where it collected the original manuscripts of all 55 textbooks, along with desktop publishing (DTP) versions prepared after the review stage and other documents associated with textbook development.

Meanwhile, a separate team spent nearly five hours at the TBPM office in Kharavel Nagar, scrutinising records related to the printing process. Investigators seized printed copies of all 55 textbooks, hard-copy and PDF versions, tender documents, official correspondence exchanged between SCERT and TBPM, and records relating to the outsourcing of printing work to private presses.

The Crime Branch now plans to compare the original SCERT manuscripts, the reviewed DTP files and both the physical and digital copies forwarded to TBPM for printing. The objective is to pinpoint the exact stage at which the errors entered the publication process.

Officials associated with the investigation said the textbooks had been prepared in accordance with NCERT guidelines. However, the TBPM Director reportedly told investigators that the entire exercise was carried out under severe time constraints, suggesting that the compressed schedule could have contributed to the mistakes.

Crime Branch Director General Binaytosh Mishra said former SCERT Director Manoj Padhi, who has already been arrested in connection with the case, will be taken on remand next week for further questioning. He said investigators are currently gathering documentary and technical evidence and expect the custodial interrogation to help establish the sequence of events that resulted in the publication of the flawed textbooks.

The investigation is being led by DSP Narendra Behera. According to officials, questioning at OSEPA and examination of official records have already yielded several important leads, and the agency has indicated that more individuals could be summoned as the inquiry progresses.