- By Nidhi Giri
- Wed, 25 Feb 2026 04:17 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Centre has agreed to remove a section on the judiciary from the Class 8 NCERT Social Science textbook after sharp criticism from the Supreme Court earlier in the day. The move came after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant criticised the NCERT for "scandalous" mentions on "judicial corruption" in the latest version of the book.
Sources in the NCERT confirmed to ANI that the new Class 8 Social Science textbook, which had a section on “corruption in the judiciary”, has been pulled out of sale. Later in the day, the syllabus-setting body withdr the contentious textbook from its website.
CJI Kant stated that he would not allow anyone on earth to defame the judiciary, adding that it was a "calculated and deep-rooted" attack on the judiciary. A row erupted after the book highlighted corruption and backlogs as the major challenges faced by the judiciary.
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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.
A section titled "corruption in the judiciary" in the new textbooks states that judges are bound by a code of conduct that governs not only their behaviour in court, but also how they conduct themselves outside it.
"We are very disturbed as members of this institution to find that children of Class 8 are being taught about corruption in the judiciary. It is part of the NCERT book. It (the chapter) is entirely scandalous. We have the copies of the book," Sibal said.
When Sibal hoped the bench would take suo motu cognisance, the CJI said, "Wait for a day. This is definitely concerning the entire institution. The bar and the bench are perturbed. Every stakeholder in the system is really perturbed. I am receiving a lot of calls and messages. There are judges of the high courts who are perturbed."
The CJI told Sibal he had already passed an order taking suo motu cognisance of the issue.
"I will not allow anyone on earth to taint the integrity of the institution and defame the institution. At any cost, I will not permit it. Howsoever high it may be, the law will take its course. I know how to deal with it," a visibly irked CJI said.
Singhvi raised the issue of the NCERT adopting a selective approach and said it presumed that "there was no corruption elsewhere. There was not a word about corruption in bureaucracy, politics, public life and other institutions".
“It seems to be a very calculated and deep-rooted measure to... we don't want to say anything more... I am aware and I have done my duty," the CJI said and thanked the lawyers for raising the issue.
(With Agency Inputs)