SC orders seizure, bans NCERT book over ‘corruption in judiciary’ chapter

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered an immediate nationwide withdrawal and imposed a complete blanket ban on a Class 8 Social Science textbook published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), observing that references to "corruption in the judiciary" in the chapter, prima facie, reflected a "discernible underlying agenda to undermine the institutional authority and demean the dignity of the judiciary".

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant, while hearing the suo motu matter titled "In Re: Social Science Textbook for Grade-8 (Part-2) published by NCERT and ancillary issues," observed that although the chapter purported to discuss the role of the judiciary, it "washes off with one stroke of the pen the illustrious history associated with the Supreme Court, the High Courts, and the District Courts," and "conspicuously omits the substantive contributions made by these institutions towards the preservation of our democratic fabric."

Further, the Bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, said that the text failed to acknowledge the judiciary's role in upholding constitutional morality and the Basic Structure doctrine, principles described as "the very lifeblood of the Indian citizens in public existence".

The controversy pertains to Chapter 4 of the Grade 8 textbook titled "Exploring Society: India and Beyond", which includes a sub-topic on "Corruption in the Judiciary".

Referring to a newspaper report dated February 24, 2026, the apex court noted that the chapter makes "prominent reference to hundreds of complaints received against the judiciary, clearly indicating, as if no action was taken," and asserts that "people do experience corruption of various levels of the judiciary".

"We were nearly shocked" upon learning of the publication of the textbook, the Supreme Court recorded, adding that the inclusion of such material in a foundational school curriculum required "a rigorous review of its pedagogical suitability and its potential impact on the institutional standing of the Judiciary as a whole."  (IANS)

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