- By Shubham Bajpai
- Thu, 26 Feb 2026 05:30 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Supreme Court on Thursday cracked down on the Ministry of Education and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) over a section on 'corruption in judiciary' in Class VIII Social Science textbook.
Calling it a well-planned conspiracy to defame the judiciary, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant called for a deeper probe, saying that the top court would not close the case.
"We would like to have a deeper probe. We need to find out who is responsible… heads must roll! We won't close the case," the court said.
Passing an order on the suo motu case, the apex court banned the book, in India and abroad, and directed seizure of all copies.
The CJI grilled Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on the NCERT press release, acknowledging the material as inappropriate. CJI Surya Kant opined that the acknowledgement fell short of an apology, and regretted only the error of judgment.
What data says on corruption in judiciary?
The row erupted over the inclusion of a section on 'corruption in judiciary' in the textbook, along with massive backlogs and delayed justice. While backlogs and delays were mentioned in earlier editions, corruption was the latest aspect that triggered criticism.
Like every other government department or governance branch, the judiciary also sees cases of corruption. According to the data presented in the Lok Sabha in February 2026, there were 8,600 complaints against the sitting judges in the last 10 years.
Between 2016 and 2025, the highest number of complaints, 1,170, were lodged in 2024. This was followed by 1,102 in 2025.
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Year-wise complaints against sitting judges
2025: 1,102
2024: 1,170
2023: 977
2022: 1,012
2021: 686
2020: 518
2019: 1,037
2018: 717
2017: 682
2016: 729