STATE OF M.P & ANR. ETC. vs RAM RAGHUBIR PRASAD AGARWAL & ORS.

The Supreme Court held that the Madhya Pradesh Prathmik Middle School Tatha Madhhyamik Shiksha (Pathya Pusthakon Sambandhi Vyavastha) Adhiniyam, 1973 empowers the State Government to prescribe and distribute textbooks, but mandates that the syllabus must be published before textbooks can be prescribed. The Court found that the syllabus for 'Rapid Reading' was invalid as it was published after the textbooks were prescribed, violating Sections 3 and 4 of the Act. Consequently, the appeal was allowed in part, necessitating a fresh decision by the Government regarding the syllabus and textbooks.