New Delhi: The Supreme Court has prevented the use of an NCERT Class 8 Social Science textbook after objecting to a chapter that referred to corruption in the judiciary. The book, Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Vol IIcarried a subsection titled ‘Corruption in the Judiciary’ in Chapter 4 on ‘The Role of Judiciary in Our Society’.
A three judge bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant took suo motu cognisance of the issue. Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi were also part of the bench. The court ordered that all copies, whether in retail stores or NCERT warehouses, be seized. It directed that digital versions be removed from all platforms. It also asked the Union government to ensure that no school or teacher used the book.
Court expresses strong displeasure
The matter came to the court’s attention after lawyers including Kapil Sibal and AM Singhvi raised concerns. The CJI said he had already asked the Registrar to verify the issue after reading a newspaper report. He said the NCERT Director had defended the inclusion in writing.
“I will not allow anyone on the earth to taint the integrity and defame the entire institution,” the CJI said.
The bench rejected NCERT’s claim that the passage was an inadvertent error. It issued a show cause notice to the School Education Secretary, the Ministry of Education and the NCERT Director. “We would like to have a deeper probe. We need to find who is responsible… Heads must roll! We will not close the case,” CJI Kant said.
NCERT apology and Centre’s stand
NCERT later said in a statement. “The aforesaid error is purely unintentional and NCERT regrets the inclusion of inappropriate material in the said chapter,” it said.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the Centre. He told the court that the book had been withdrawn. “We cannot teach our children that justice is denied in the country,” he said. He added that those who defended the chapter would not remain associated with NCERT or any ministry.
Government reaction
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said in Jamshedpur the government would comply fully. “We respect the judiciary, and whatever the court has said, we will fully comply with it. I am deeply saddened by what has happened and express my regret over the incident,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had raised concern during a Cabinet meeting. “What are we teaching Class 8 children about judicial corruption?” the PM asked, India Today reported quoting sources.
The court has sought minutes of the National Syllabi Board meetings. The next hearing will take place in four weeks.
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