After SC Suo Motu, NCERT Withdraws Class 8 Judiciary Chapter

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has withdrawn its newly introduced Class 8 Social Science textbook from sale after a controversy erupted over a section discussing “corruption in the judiciary.”

The move came shortly after the Supreme Court of India initiated suo motu proceedings over the inclusion of the content. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant made it clear that the institution would not allow its reputation to be tarnished.

“I’m fully aware of it. We will wait for a day. This definitely concerns the entire institution, both bar and bench. I am getting a lot of calls, lots of messages. I’m taking suo motu cognisance of the issue. I will not let anybody, no matter how high up they are, defame the institution,” the Chief Justice said in court.

The controversy centres around a revised chapter titled “The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society.” Unlike earlier editions that focused mainly on explaining the court system and access to justice, the new version addressed challenges faced by the judiciary, including corruption and case backlogs. The inclusion marked a noticeable shift in tone and content from previous textbooks.

Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek M Singhvi raised the issue before the CJI-led bench. They argued that the textbook singled out the judiciary while failing to mention corruption in other sectors.

“They have left out bureaucracy, politics, etc. Not a word on other sectors. They are teaching as if it only exists in this institution,” the lawyers submitted.

Responding to their concerns, the Chief Justice described the matter as serious. “It’s a calculated and deep-rooted thing. We will not say anything more than that. As head of the institution, I’m aware, I’m already doing something about it,” he said.

Earlier, Kapil Sibal had also criticised the move publicly, questioning why the textbook highlighted corruption in the judiciary but did not address alleged corruption among politicians, ministers, public servants, and investigative agencies. In a post on X, he suggested that other areas of governance were being ignored.

The debate has drawn reactions from the legal community as well. Vikas Singh, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, termed the inclusion “completely shocking.” He questioned whether the textbooks carried similar discussions about the criminal backgrounds of elected representatives.

“Do they have a sub-chapter with regard to the 40 per cent MLAs and MPs who have a serious criminal background? If they want to give this kind of message, they should give it about these MLAs and MPs. Corruption in the judiciary is far less than what it is in the executive and in politics,” Singh said.

For now, NCERT has pulled the textbook from sale as the matter remains under scrutiny. The Supreme Court’s suo motu proceedings indicate that the issue is likely to see further legal and public debate in the coming days.

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