Chapter on 'judicial corruption': NCERT apologises, Class 8 textbook to be rewritten

New Delhi, Feb 25 (PTI) The NCERT on Wednesday apologised for "inappropriate content" after facing the Supreme Court's ire over a chapter talking about judicial corruption in a Class 8 textbook and said the book concerned will be rewritten in consultation with appropriate authorities.

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.

"It has been observed that certain inappropriate textual material and error of judgement have inadvertently crept into the concerned chapter," a senior official said.

The National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT) 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.

"NCERT reiterates 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.

"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.

A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi has taken 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 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 GJS GJS AMJ AMJ