NCERT apologises after SC rap over Class 8 ‘Judicial Corruption; chapter
The council to rewrite Class 8 textbook after consultation, promises revised edition for 2026–27 academic session
A file image of the Supreme Court (Photo: @IANS)
New Delhi, Feb 25: The National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT) has apologised for "inappropriate content" after facing the Supreme Court's ire over a chapter talking about judicial corruption in a Class 8 textbook.
The Council said it "holds the judiciary in highest esteem and considers it to be the upholder of the Indian Constitution and protector of fundamental rights" and termed the error as purely unintentional.
"It has been observed that certain inappropriate textual material and error of judgement have inadvertently crept into the concerned chapter," a senior NCERT official said.
He further added that the objective of the new textbooks is to strengthen constitutional literacy, institutional respect, and informed understanding of democratic participation amongst students.
“There is no intent to question or diminish the authority of any constitutional body," he added.
The council, responsible for school education curriculum, also put on hold the circulation of the textbook, hours after it took the book off its website.
"As part of its continuous review process, NCERT remains open to constructive feedback. And hence, the same shall be re-written, with consultation of the appropriate authority, as necessary, and would be made available to students of Class 8 accordingly on the commencement of academic session 2026-27," it added.
Earlier on Wednesday, a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi took suo motu cognisance of the "objectionable" statements about the judiciary in NCERT textbooks after senior advocate Kapil Sibal, alongside Abhishek Singhvi, mentioned the matter for urgent consideration.
CJI Kant strongly objected to a chapter on judicial corruption in the NCERT's Class 8 curriculum, saying n “nobody on earth will be allowed to defame the judiciary and taint its integrity”.
The NCERT's new Social Science textbooks for Class 8 say corruption, a massive backlog of cases, and the lack of an adequate number of judges are among the challenges faced by the judicial system.
PTI