The Supreme Court of India has taken suo motu cognizance of objectionable references to judicial corruption in an NCERT Class 8 textbook, leading to the removal of the contentious book from its website. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) faced stern criticism from the court, particularly from Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, who expressed deep concern over the content.

Supreme Court’s Strong Response

A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M Pancholi took suo motu cognizance of the issue after senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi raised it in court. The CJI described the chapter as “entirely scandalous” and emphasized that no one should be allowed to “tarnish the integrity” of the judiciary.

The NCERT textbook, part of the Class 8 social science curriculum, discusses challenges such as judicial corruption, a backlog of cases, and the lack of an adequate number of judges. The chapter highlights that the Supreme Court has approximately 81,000 pending cases, while high courts have 62.40 lakh cases and district courts have 4.70 crore cases.

According to the book, over 1,600 complaints were received through the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System between 2017 and 2021. It also includes a quote from former Chief Justice BR Gavai, who in July 2025 stated that instances of corruption and misconduct within the judiciary had a negative impact on public confidence.

Government and Legal Reactions

Government sources expressed frustration with the NCERT for not consulting the Union Law Ministry to verify the data on judicial corruption. They noted that the chapter selectively focused on the judiciary without addressing corruption in other branches of government, such as the executive and legislature.

Justice Bagchi referred to the basic structure doctrine and said “constitutional integrity to the basic structure is missing in the contents of the textbook.” The government sources emphasized that an in-house mechanism already exists in the Supreme Court and the 25 high courts to deal with complaints of corruption against judges.

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal told the Lok Sabha earlier this month that 8,639 complaints were received against sitting judges between 2016 and 2025, with the highest number (1,170) received in 2024 by the office of the CJI against sitting judges.

Former law minister Ashwani Kumar praised the CJI for taking suo motu cognizance of the chapter, stating that the prompt action would help bury propaganda against the judiciary. Sibal described the chapter as “entirely scandalous” and said he had copies of the book.

NCERT’s Response and Future Steps

The NCERT is considering the removal of the controversial portions from the books already printed, but several schools in the national capital have not yet received directives on whether to teach the affected sections. The council is reportedly holding an internal meeting to review the recommendations of the subject experts involved in the chapter and the officials who approved it.

NCERT Chairman Dinesh Prasad Saklani did not respond to calls and messages on the issue. Another top official at the council refused to comment, stating the matter was sub judice.

The government sources said that while the NCERT is an autonomous body, the officials responsible for adding chapters should have applied their minds. If the issue of corruption was to be included in the textbook, it should have been about all three organs (the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary), they said.

The Supreme Court has ordered an investigation into the matter, and the NCERT is expected to submit a detailed response within the next two weeks. The court has also directed the Ministry of Education to provide a thorough review of the curriculum to ensure that such controversies do not arise in the future.