New Delhi: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has introduced a section on “corruption in the judiciary” in its new Class 8 social science textbook, bringing into focus issues that were previously left untouched. According to Indian Express, corruption across various levels of the judiciary is described as one of the key challenges facing India’s judicial system.
Earlier editions largely concentrated on explaining how the judiciary functions just its structure, the idea of judicial independence and how citizens can approach courts. While the phrase “justice delayed is justice denied” was mentioned in a previous textbook, the issue of corruption was not directly addressed. The updated version marks a clear shift by naming concerns that have long been debated in public.
The new addition
One of the strongest points made in the new edition is the sheer scale of pending cases across courts. The new edition textbook notes that there are around 81,000 pending cases in the Supreme Court, about 62.4 lakh in various High Courts and nearly 4.7 crore in District and Subordinate Courts. These figures underline the burden on the judicial system.
The book also explains why delays are caused. It mentions out several factors that impact the process, which includes shortage of judges, lengthy legal procedures and inadequate infrastructure. The revised textbook backs the justice delayed concern with concrete numbers, giving students a clearer understanding of the magnitude of the problem.
Accountability and complaints mechanism
The chapter also outlines the code of conduct that judges are expected to follow, both inside and outside the courtroom. It stresses that mechanisms are in place to maintain accountability. The IE report stated that the book says the judiciary has its own internal mechanism in place to ensure accountability and refers to an “established procedure for receiving complaints through the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS)”.
As per the text added more than 1,600 complaints were received through this system between 2017 and 2021. It also explains out the Parliament power to remove a judge through impeached in serious cases. But that can happen only after a proper inquiry in which the judge is given a fair chance to prove his innocence.
The textbook also refers to former Chief Justice of India B R Gavai’s remarks, which he made in July 2025. He acknowledged that instances of misconduct have occurred in the recent past and said that such episodes can weaken public trust in the judiciary.
Electoral bonds and judicial oversight
In a section titled “Why is an independent judiciary needed for justice?” the book asks students to examine examples such as electoral bonds. The book explains that in 2018 government introduced the scheme that allows anonymous donations to political parties through bank-issued bonds.
The scheme was struck down by the Supreme Court calling it unconstitutional. The apex court added that voters have the right to know who funds political parties, reinforcing the judiciary’s role in protecting transparency and democratic accountability.
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