The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of a new section in the Class 8 Social Science textbook published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) that discusses “corruption in the judiciary,” calling the matter one of “grave concern.” The bench hearing the matter comprises Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal told the court that “children of class 8 are taught about corruption in the judiciary. This is a matter of grave concern.” He said members of the Bar were deeply disturbed that the NCERT curriculum and textbook included that reference, suggesting it appeared deliberate.
“We are compelled to urgently mention this matter since we, at the Bar, are deeply disturbed. Children in Class 8 are being taught about ‘corruption in the judiciary’. It is a part of the NCERT curriculum and their textbook,” Sibal submitted in open court.
Responding after a group of senior advocates urged intervention, Chief Justice Surya Kant said, “Please wait for a few days. Bar and Bench are both perturbed. All the High Court judges are perturbed. I have received many calls. I will take up the matter suo motu. I will not allow anybody to defame the institution. Law will take its course. As head of the institution. I have done my duty and I have taken cognisance. This seems to be a calculated move… I will not say much.” The CJI described the development as “deep-rooted” and said it appeared to be “a calculated and conscious step.”
The controversy centres on a newly released NCERT Social Science textbook for Class 8 that includes a section on “corruption in the judiciary” within a chapter titled “The role of the judiciary in our society.” The chapter lists “corruption at various levels of the judiciary” and a “massive backlog” of cases among the challenges facing the judicial system.
The textbook cites approximate figures for pending cases, noting about 81,000 matters awaiting disposal in the Supreme Court, more than 6.2 million in the high courts, and nearly 47 million in district courts. The Supreme Court’s suo motu notice signals that the issue will be examined further in the coming days.
Original Source: https://nenews.in/politics/supreme-court-takes-suo-motu-cognisance-of-ncert-textbook-section-on-corruption-in-judiciary/43127/
Category: Politics,Chief Justice Surya Kant,Supreme Court
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Publish Date: 2026-02-25 17:38:00
