Guwahati: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has issued a public apology over a chapter on judicial corruption included in a Class 8 social science textbook, a day before the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a suo motu case concerning the matter.
The apology follows the top court’s February 26 order issuing show-cause notices to the NCERT Director and the Secretary of the School Education Department, asking why contempt proceedings should not be initiated over the publication of the chapter. The court had also directed that circulation of the textbook be stopped and that its digital copies be removed after taking serious note of its contents.
The matter is listed for hearing before the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
During the previous hearing, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant had expressed dissatisfaction with an earlier statement issued by NCERT that merely expressed regret over the publication. The Chief Justice observed that the response was inadequate and remarked that “heads must roll”, directing the government to provide details of officials responsible for the preparation and publication of the chapter.
Following the court’s observations, NCERT issued a press release on March 10, 2026, tendering what it described as an “unconditional and unqualified apology”.
In the statement, the council said it had recently published a Grade 8 social science textbook titled Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part II), which included a Chapter IV titled The Role of Judiciary in Our Society.
“The Director and Members of NCERT hereby tender an unconditional and unqualified apology for the said Chapter IV. The entire book has been withdrawn and is not available,” the statement said.
NCERT added that the textbook has been completely withdrawn from circulation following the controversy surrounding the chapter.