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After the Supreme Court took strong note of references to "corruption in the judiciary" in a Class 8 Social Science textbook, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Wednesday said it has put the book's distribution on "strict hold" and apologised for what it termed an "error of judgement".
In a press statement issued late Wednesday evening, NCERT said that after bringing out the Social Science textbook Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Vol II for Class 8 on February 24, "it has been observed that certain inappropriate textual material and errors of judgement have inadvertently crept into Chapter No 4, entitled 'The Role of Judiciary in our Society'." The development comes after the Supreme Court rapped the council and took suo motu cognisance of the content, with the Chief Justice expressing concern over the manner in which the judiciary was portrayed in the chapter. NCERT said the Department of School Education & Literacy under the Ministry of Education had also flagged the issue and directed that the distribution of the book be halted "until further orders", a direction that has been complied with. "The National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT) holds the judiciary in highest esteem and considers it to be the upholder of the Indian Constitution and protector of Fundamental Rights. The aforesaid error is purely unintentional and NCERT regrets the inclusion of inappropriate material in the said chapter," the statement said. The council further clarified that there was "no intent to question or diminish the authority of any constitutional body" and reiterated that the objective of the new textbooks is to "strengthen constitutional literacy, institutional respect, and informed understanding of democratic participation amongst students." It added that the chapter will now be re-written "with consultation of the appropriate authority, as necessary," and the revised version would be made available to Class 8 students at the commencement of the academic session 2026-27. "NCERT, once again, regrets this error of judgement and apologises while re-iterating our resolve to continuously work for institutional sanctity and respect," the statement said. The controversy had erupted after the newly released textbook included a section discussing corruption and case backlogs within the judiciary -- a first for an NCERT Class 8 Social Science text -- prompting sharp observations from the top court. The earlier edition had focused largely on the structure and role of courts and access to justice, without explicitly flagging corruption as a systemic concern. (ANI)
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