The Supreme Court ordered an immediate nationwide withdrawal of a Class 8 Social Science textbook published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). The Court noted that references to “corruption in the judiciary” in the chapter seemed to show a clear agenda to weaken the authority of the judiciary and harm its dignity.
Why Supreme Court Bans Textbook
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant, was hearing a suomotu matter titled “In Re: Social Science Textbook for Grade 8 (Part-2) published by NCERT and related issues.”
The Bench observed that while the chapter claimed to discuss the role of the judiciary, it erased the proud history of the Supreme Court, the High Courts, and the District Courts. It also notably left out the significant contributions these institutions have made to our democracy.
Corruption references in NCERT gone wrong
Additionally, the Supreme Court bench, which included Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, said that the text did not recognize the judiciary’s role in upholding constitutional morality and the Basic Structure doctrine. These principles described as essential to the life of Indian citizens.
The controversy centers around Chapter 4 of the Grade 8 textbook, titled “Exploring Society: India and Beyond,” which contains a sub-topic on “Corruption in the Judiciary.” Referring to a newspaper report from February 24, 2026, the Supreme Court observed that the chapter makes a significant reference to hundreds of complaints against the judiciary, suggesting that no action taken. It highlights that “people do experience corruption at various levels of the judiciary.”
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