Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Tuesday criticised the NCERT for pointing out "judicial corruption" in the latest version of the Class 8 Social Science book. While taking suo motu cognizance on the matter, CJI Kant stated that he would not "allow anyone on earth to defame judiciary". He further stated 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.
CJI Kant asserted that he was approached by several eminent personalities of the judiciary, expressing concern about the issue. The chief justice asserted that the inclusion of such topics was a "calculated measure", adding that he would not let anyone defame the legal system. "I know how to deal with it. It seems to be a calculated measure," CJI Kant asserted.
The issue was also raised by senior lawyers, including Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who pointed out that the judiciary was being targeted. "We are deeply disturbed as the members of this institution to find that the children of Class 8 students are being taught about corruption in the judiciary. It is part of the NCERT. It is entirely scandalous. We have the copies of the book," Sibal said in court.
While responding to their concerns, CJI Kant stated that the issue has disturbed the stakeholders of the system, further assuring that he will deal with the matter. "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 lot of calls and messages. There are judges of High Courts who are perturbed," CJI Kant asserted.
"Whosoever high it may be, the law will take its course. I know how to deal with it," he added. A chapter on "The role of the judiciary in our society" in the latest book includes a section on corruption and a huge number of pending cases. The section also asserted that the judiciary deals with several challenges, including lack of an adequate number of judges, poor infrastructure, and complicated legal procedures.