Overview
- NCERT issued a June 22 order debaring Pune-based Bafna Global Venture for two years after alleging the firm supplied paper that failed prescribed quality checks and missed delivery timelines.
- When Bafna challenged the blacklisting in the Delhi High Court on June 24 no NCERT representative appeared and the court granted the company interim protection and restrained NCERT from encashing a roughly ₹6.09 crore bank guarantee.
- Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has ordered a formal probe that directs NCERT to explain why Bafna was selected, why supply schedules were missed, and to identify officials for possible administrative or legal action.
- Bafna told the court it faced production delays because hydrogen peroxide, a bleaching agent for paper, was scarce due to disruptions linked to the US‑Iran conflict and argued that blacklisting should not follow a bona fide contractual dispute.
- The next key steps are the July 20 Delhi High Court hearing and the ministry inquiry whose findings will decide whether the bank guarantee is encashed and how textbook printing schedules for millions of students will be adjusted.