In a notable development, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has pulled out its newly released Class-8 Social Science textbook following popular backlash from the Supreme Court.
The development was recently confirmed by The Indian Express citing sources in the education ministry who confirmed the removal on Wednesday.
NCERT’s latest move comes after the educational body received scathing criticism from the Chief Justice of India, who labelled the book’s updated content as a ‘calculated move’ that’s designed to damage the image of judiciary in India.
The Supreme Court’s contention was primarily with a chapter titled “The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society,” which identified corruption and a significant backlog of pending cases as key challenges faced by India’s legal system.
CJI’s objection
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant publicly objected to the inclusion, stating that he “will not allow anyone to defame the institution” and emphasised that no one is above the law.
“I will not allow anyone to defame the institution. I know how to deal with it,” the CJI said, after senior advocates A M Singhvi and Kapil Sibal raised the issue during the mention hours of the top court.
Senior advocates A. M. Singhvi and Kapil Sibal, appearing during court proceedings, argued that presenting the judiciary primarily through the lens of corruption was selective and misleading, especially for Class 8 students.
Legal experts argued that teaching 13-year-old students about judicial corruption, without mentioning similar challenges in the government or the police, creates a one-sided and negative image of a key pillar of democracy.
What the chapter contained
NCERT’s latest social science textbook for class 8 students titled ‘Exploring Society: India and Beyond’ Part 2–was released on Monday (February 23).
The controversial chapter, “The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society,” used specific data points to show the pressure on Indian courts.
According to published excerpts, the section on judiciary challenges went beyond general descriptions to cite specific figures such as over 81,000 pending cases in the Supreme Court, around 62.4 lakh in high courts, and approximately 4.7 crore in district and subordinate courts to highlight the backlog.
While most of this data is publicly available in government reports, the Supreme Court’s objection was not about the numbers, but the tone and the decision to include such sensitive topics in a school textbook.
The chapter also referred to a sizable strain on the judiciary’s internal mechanism to maintain accountability of India’s legal courts and judges.
As per the published excerpts of the now withdrawn book, the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) that was established to maintain accountability of courts and judges had received over 1,600 such complaints between 2017 and 2021 itself.
The chapter also provided clarity on the process regarding the process of removing/impeaching a judge and maintained that judicial corruption takes place at several levels in the country.
“Nevertheless, people do experience corruption at various levels of the judiciary. For the poor and the disadvantaged, this can worsen the issue of access to justice. Hence, efforts are constantly being made at the state and Union levels to build faith and increase transparency in the judicial system, including through the use of technology, and to take swift and decisive action against instances of corruption wherever they may arise.” the text stated.
The controversy underlines the sensitivity of framing such issues in educational material for young learners, and raises questions about the balance between civic education and institutional reputation.