Ex-minister hails CJI for suo motu cognisance of 'offensive chapter' on 'judicial corruption'

New Delhi, Feb 25 (PTI) Former law minister Ashwani Kumar on Wednesday hailed Chief Justice of India Surya Kant for taking suo motu cognisance of the chapter on judicial corruption in NCERT's Class 8 curriculum and said the prompt action would help bury the propaganda against the judiciary.

In a statement, he said the action would also reaffirm people's allegiance to the intellectual and professional integrity of the judicial branch which is vital for strengthening the foundations of India's constitutional democracy.

"The Chief Justice of India has done well, as expected of his high office, to take suo moto cognisance of an offensive chapter in the NCERT curricula suggesting pervasive judicial corruption," he said.

Kumar said the chapter meant for study by children of impressionable age is bound to bring into disrepute the credentials of a vital pillar of our democracy, which is the final arbiter of the constitutional conscience.

"The offending chapter suggesting widespread judicial corruption not supported by empirical evidence is an unacceptable constitutional transgression. The Chief Justice's prompt action in the matter will hopefully bury the insidious propaganda against the judicial branch as a whole and reaffirm the willing allegiance of the people in the intellectual and professional integrity of the judicial branch.

"This is vital for strengthening the foundations of our constitutional democracy," the former minister for law and justice in the UPA government led by then prime minister Manmohan Singh said.

CJI Kant on Wednesday strongly objected to a chapter on judicial corruption in the NCERT's Class 8 curriculum, saying that nobody on Earth will be allowed to defame the judiciary and taint its integrity.

A three-judge bench comprising the CJI 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.

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

A section titled "Corruption in the judiciary" in the new textbooks says judges are bound by a code of conduct that governs not only their behaviour in the court but also how they conduct themselves outside it.

"I can assure you all that I am fully aware of this," the CJI said, adding that he received various calls and messages and many high court judges were "perturbed". PTI SKC SKC KSS KSS