Guwahati: The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a complete ban on the reprinting and digital circulation of the NCERT’s latest Class 8 Social Science textbook after objecting to a chapter that referred to “corruption” in the judiciary.
Hearing a suo motu case registered over the issue, a three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant directed the immediate seizure and withdrawal of both physical and digital copies of the book from circulation. The Court also sought compliance reports within two weeks.
Calling the inclusion of the content a “deep-rooted conspiracy against the judiciary”, the Chief Justice said it was “fundamentally wrong to expose students to biased misconceptions at this tender age”.
The Bench — also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, made it clear that any attempt to circulate the textbook would amount to defiance of its directions.
Both the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and Union and State education departments were instructed to ensure that hard and soft copies are withdrawn from public access, including digital platforms. The Court said it would be the personal responsibility of the NCERT Director and school principals to ensure compliance.
The Bench also issued show-cause notices to the Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy and NCERT Director Dinesh Prakash Sakhlani, asking why action should not be initiated against them under the Contempt of Courts Act or other relevant legal provisions.
The Court observed that while dissent and criticism are vital to democracy, the choice of words in the textbook appeared to go beyond legitimate academic discussion. It noted that the text failed to adequately highlight the judiciary’s role in upholding constitutional values and safeguarding democratic principles.
“If this is allowed to go unchecked, it will erode the sanctity of the judiciary in the eyes of the public and more importantly the impressionable minds of the youth,” the Chief Justice remarked during the hearing.
The Solicitor General informed the Court that an unconditional and unqualified apology would be published. He also said the individuals involved in drafting the controversial chapter would not be associated with any future academic work under the ministry. According to him, 32 books were being withdrawn from the market and the chapter in question would be rewritten.
The NCERT had earlier issued a public apology, stating that distribution of the book had been halted and that the chapter would be revised. The Court, however, questioned whether the apology was genuine or merely an attempt to “wriggle out” after damage had already been caused.
Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that the textbook presented a lopsided narrative, noting that it did not sufficiently reflect the judiciary’s role as the guardian of the Constitution, including its contributions to legal aid and access to justice.
The Court clarified that it did not intend to initiate suo motu proceedings to stifle legitimate criticism of public institutions. However, it emphasised that content introduced in school textbooks must maintain pedagogical balance and institutional respect.
The chapter, titled “The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society”, had described corruption, backlog of cases and shortage of judges as challenges faced by the judicial system. The issue came to light after reports highlighted the contents of the textbook, prompting the Court to take suo motu cognisance.
The matter has been posted for further consideration after two weeks, by which time authorities are required to submit compliance reports on the seizure and withdrawal of the textbook.