Supreme Court Upset over NCERT’s ‘Corruption in Judiciary’ Chapter; Book Withdrawn from Sale
Moneylife Digital Team 25 February 2026
The Supreme Court on Wednesday strongly objected to portions of a new class-8 social science textbook published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) that referred to 'corruption in the judiciary'. Chief justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant announced that the Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter.
 
“Bar and bench all are perturbed. All High Court judges are perturbed. I will take up the matter suo motu. I will not allow anybody to defame the institution. Law will take its course,” CJI Kant says in open court.
 
Justice Joymalya Bagchi described the contents as going against foundational constitutional principles. “The book seems to go against the basic structure itself,” he observed.
 
According to a report by The Indian Express, the new NCERT textbook featured a chapter titled 'The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society' which included a section listing 'corruption at various levels of the judiciary' among the challenges faced by the judicial system.
 
The chapter also referred to a 'massive backlog of cases on account of multiple reasons, such as a lack of an adequate number of judges, complicated legal procedures and poor infrastructure', the newspaper reported.
 
The issue was brought to the Court’s attention by senior counsel Kapil Sibal, who expressed concern over the content being taught to school students.
 
“NCERT is teaching Class 8 students about judicial corruption. This is a matter of grave concern. We are here for the bar,” Mr Sibal submitted.
 
Responding to the concerns, CJI Kant stated that cognisance had already been taken. “As head of the institution, I have done my duty and I have taken cognisance. This seems to be a calculated move. I won’t say much,” he says.
 
Senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi also criticised what he described as selective emphasis. “The selectivity, my lord. The selectivity… it is there in other areas also but judicial corruption!” Mr Singhvi submitted.
 
Meanwhile, The Indian Express reported on Wednesday that the NCERT textbook has been pulled out of sale. Sources in the Union ministry of education confirmed to the newspaper that the book was withdrawn from circulation on Tuesday.
 
Staff at the publication division book counter at the NCERT campus in Delhi told the newspaper that the book, which had been available for sale on Monday, was no longer available.
 
The report did not specify whether the withdrawal was temporary pending revision or part of a larger review.
 
The strong reaction from the apex court signals the sensitivity surrounding references to institutional integrity, particularly when framed in educational material for school students.
 
Justice Bagchi’s observation that the content appeared to go against the 'basic structure' doctrine is significant. The basic structure doctrine, evolved through Supreme Court jurisprudence, holds that certain foundational principles of the Constitution cannot be altered even by constitutional amendment.
 
The Court’s decision to take suo motu cognisance indicates that it may initiate proceedings on its own motion without waiting for a formal petition.
 
As of Wednesday evening, NCERT had not issued a detailed public clarification on whether the content would be revised, restored or permanently removed.
 
Comments
adityag
3 months ago
The Judiciary is worse than the Congress party and by far the most corrupt institution in the country -- by a mile. It's not even close.

And yet, those who cry about "democracy in danger" rely wholly on the Judiciary to subvert and drown out so called "opposing voices" -- and believes it is the savior of democracy. Irony indeed. I love that the SC is triggered by NCERT accurate assertions in its books.

Popcorn time!
amit_kumar
3 months ago
Mere perception management is not going to do well if you fail to do the right work. The judiciary has never been weaker than it is today.
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