Aurangabad: The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court recently said that if parents desire, they are at liberty to purchase private text books for their references.This order gave a much-needed relief to private English-medium school managements who were asked by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to only use NCERT textbooks The Maharashtra English School Trustees Association (MESTA) had approached the high court, seeking directions to stay the circular issued by the CBSE. In their plea, the MESTA had said the CBSE or other concerned authorities cannot insist them or parents and students to purchase only NCERT books.The high court bench — comprising jusitces S V Gangapurwala and Sangitrao S Patil — on April 18 noted that circular Dated February 14, 2017 does not lay down a mandate that NCERT text books only should be referred or used, nor does it place any compulsion on parents to purchase those books only.The court observed: "The letter dated April 6, 2017 is addressed by the CBSE to all the principals and head of institutions. The letter only lays down that parents should not be coerced to buy text books of private publisher or additional text books by school authorities and the schools must mandatorily use the NCERT textbooks in their schools."While placing the next date of hearing on May 2, the court said, "The circular dated February 14 does not suggest that students and parents cannot use private text books for the reference. It only states that the parents should not be coerced i.e. should not be forced to buy text books of private publisher."It added, "If the parents and students so desire, they are at liberty to purchase private text books for their references. The circular does not prohibit them from doing so as per their choice."

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