Govt takes U-turn, to remove paragraph on 'corruption in the judiciary' from NCERT Class 8 book

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant asserted that the institution will not be allowed to be defamed.

After a legal outrage over the Class 8 textbook preaching corruption in the judiciary, the Narendra Modi government took a u-turn on Wednesday and said that the controversial section will be removed. According to ANI report, the National Council of Educational Research and Training's new Class 8 Social Science textbook with a section on "corruption in the judiciary" has been pulled out of sale. The decision came hours after the Supreme Court initiated suo moto proceedings regarding the inclusion of a section on "corruption in the judiciary" in the textbook. Many senior lawyers flagged the issue, highlighting that the judiciary has been made a villain and it has been shown in the way that corruption only exits in the judiciary and not in other departments or politics.

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant asserted that the institution will not be allowed to be defamed. "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 moto cognisance of the issue. I will not let anybody, no matter how high up they are, defame the institution," the Chief Justice said.

Senior lawyers Kapil Sibal and Abhishek M Singhvi mentioned the issue before the CJI-led bench and stated that children are being taught the subject of corruption in the judiciary as if it doesn't exist anywhere else in any other institution. "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 said.

The CJI, in response, acknowledged the seriousness of the issue and said that "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." Earlier, it was reported that the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has introduced a section on "corruption in the judiciary" in its new Class 8 Social Science textbook, marking a significant shift from earlier editions that largely focused on the structure and role of courts.

The revised chapter, titled "The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society," goes beyond explaining the hierarchy of courts and access to justice, and addresses challenges faced by the judicial system, including corruption and case backlogs. "NCERT's Class 8 book includes a section on corruption in the judiciary! What about the massive corruption of politicians, including ministers, public servants, investigation agencies, and why governments? Brush them under the carpet," Kapil Sibal had earlier stated in his post on X.

President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Senior Advocate Vikas Singh had also questioned the NCERT decision. "This is completely shocking," he told ANI. "Do they have a sub-chapter with regard to the 40 % MLAs and MPs who have a serious criminal background? ... This kind of a message, if they want to give, 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. (With ANI inputs)