The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has removed a Class 8 social science textbook from its website after the Supreme Court expressed strong displeasure over a chapter referring to judicial corruption, sources said on Wednesday. According to government sources, the inclusion of the controversial content has not gone down well with the Centre.
As per a PTI report, the council is also considering deleting the contentious portions from copies of the book that have already been printed. However, several schools in the national capital told PTI that they have not yet received any directive on whether the chapter should be taught.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi took suo motu cognisance of what it termed “objectionable” statements about the judiciary in the NCERT textbook after senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi mentioned the matter for urgent consideration.
CJI Kant strongly objected to the inclusion of a chapter on judicial corruption in the Class 8 curriculum, observing that nobody on earth would be permitted to defame the judiciary or cast aspersions on its integrity.
The new NCERT social science textbook for Class 8 lists corruption, a massive backlog of cases and a shortage of judges among the key challenges facing the judicial system. It cites data stating that approximately 81,000 cases are pending in the Supreme Court, 62.40 lakh in high courts and 4.70 crore in district and subordinate courts.
The book also refers 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 quotes 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.
Government sources, cited by PTI, said that although NCERT functions as an autonomous body, officials responsible for drafting and approving the chapter should have exercised greater caution. If corruption was to be discussed, it ought to have covered all three organs of the state, the executive, legislature and judiciary, rather than singling out one institution, they said.
The sources added that while data on judicial corruption is available in parliamentary records and the National Judicial Data Grid, the Union Law Ministry was not consulted for cross-verification of the facts included in the textbook. They also claimed that former CJI Gavai’s remarks had been taken out of context and that he was unhappy about the manner in which they were presented.
“If students are to be taught about corruption, the chapter should ideally encourage them to file complaints against graft rather than target a single institution. An in-house mechanism already exists in the Supreme Court and the 25 high courts to deal with complaints against judges. As envisaged by the framers of the Constitution, the judiciary is an independent institution capable of addressing such issues,” a government functionary said, according to PTI.
NCERT Chairman Dinesh Prasad Saklani did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment. Another senior official at the council declined to speak, saying the matter is sub judice.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal informed the Lok Sabha earlier this month that 8,639 complaints were received against sitting judges between 2016 and 2025. The highest number, 1,170 complaints, was received in 2024 by the office of the Chief Justice of India against sitting judges.
Meanwhile, former Union law minister Ashwani Kumar praised CJI Surya Kant for taking suo motu cognisance of the issue, saying the swift intervention would help counter what he described as propaganda against the judiciary, PTI reported.
(With inputs from PTI)