NEW DELHI: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday said an inquiry would be conducted into the controversial Class 8 textbook released by the NCERT.
Pradhan assured that action would be taken against those involved in preparing the content for the book.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court banned the release of the Social Science textbook, taking offence to the section ‘Corruption in the judiciary’ in the chapter ‘The role of judiciary in our society’.
The apex court also issued contempt notices to the Secretary of School Education and the NCERT director.
Speaking to reporters at Jamshedpur, Pradhan said, “There was absolutely no intention to disrespect the judiciary and the government had no such motive. We are taking this matter seriously and an inquiry will be conducted”.
“Whoever was involved in preparing the book and the concerned chapter will face appropriate action. We will also assure that such a mistake does not happen again.” he added.
He also said that the Ministry was in agreement with the observations made by the Supreme Court.
The Minister said, “We respect the judiciary, and whatever the court has said, we will fully comply with it. I am deeply saddened by what has happened and express my regret over the incident. As soon as this matter came to my notice, I immediately directed NCERT to take corrective steps and ensure that such an issue does not arise again”.
The chapter, ‘The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society’, in the class 8 text book, highlights the key challenges facing India’s judicial system, including corruption, a massive backlog of cases, and a shortage of judges.
According to the chapter, around 81,000 cases are pending in the Supreme Court, 62.4 lakh in high courts, and 4.7 crore in district and subordinate courts.
The book also referred to internal accountability mechanisms within the judiciary and mentions the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) as a channel for complaints. According to the text, more than 1,600 complaints were received through this mechanism between 2017 and 2021.
It further quoted former Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, who in July 2025 said instances of corruption and misconduct within the judiciary had adversely affected public confidence.
“However, the path to rebuilding this trust lies in the swift, decisive and transparent action taken to address and resolve these issues... Transparency and accountability are democratic virtues,” he is quoted as saying.
NCERT on Wednesday night had said that it would rewrite the chapter in consultation with the appropriate authority.
NCERT also stopped the distribution of the book following orders from the Education Ministry.
In a statement released to the media after a marathon meeting by NCERT officials at its head office, it regretted the inclusion of “inappropriate material” in the said chapter. There is no intent to question or diminish the authority of any constitutional body, it said.
(With inputs from Online Desk)