The National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT) has suspended the distribution of its Class 8 Social Science textbook. This action follows the Supreme Court’s criticism of a section discussing “corruption in the judiciary.” The textbook will be revised and re-released for the 2026-27 academic year .
Textbook Revision Announced
NCERT identified “inappropriate textual material” and an “error of judgement” in Chapter 4 of the book, titled “The Role of Judiciary in our Society.” The council stated the inclusion was unintentional. NCERT aims to foster constitutional literacy and informed democratic participation through its textbooks. The council maintains it did not intend to undermine any constitutional body. NCERT stated it welcomes constructive feedback.
Supreme Court’s Objections
The Supreme Court tooksuo motunotice of the textbook’s content. Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant stated the court cannot permit defamation of the institution. He reported that High Court judges were perturbed by the inclusion. CJI Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Kant described the book as an “attack” on the Constitution’s basic structure.
Chapter Content Under Scrutiny
Chapter 4 detailed challenges within the judicial system. These included corruption, a large backlog of cases, insufficient judges, complex legal procedures, and poor infrastructure. The chapter cited significant case backlogs.
| Judicial Level | Pending Cases |
|---|---|
| Supreme Court | 81,000 |
| High Courts | 62.40 lakh |
| District Courts | 4.70 crore |