'Corruption In Judiciary': NCERT Apologises After SC Rap; Class 8 Textbook To Be Rewritten
NCERT said it regrets this "error of judgement" and reiterated its resolve to continuously work for institutional sanctity and respect.
Published : February 26, 2026 at 7:59 AM IST
|Updated : February 26, 2026 at 8:42 AM IST
New Delhi: After facing ire of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) over a chapter on 'judicial corruption' in its Class-8 textbook, the National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT) on Wednesday night apologised for the "inappropriate content" and said the book concerned will be rewritten in consultation with appropriate authorities.
The council, responsible for school education curriculum, also put on hold the circulation of the textbook, hours after it took the book off its website.
"It has been observed that certain inappropriate textual material and error of judgement have inadvertently crept into the concerned chapter," NCERT said in a press release.
"As per the extant procedure, NCERT brought out the Social Science textbook, Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Vol II for Class 8 on 24-02-2026. On receiving the textbook, it has been observed that certain inappropriate textual material and error of judgement have inadvertently crept into Chapter No 4, entitled "The Role of Judiciary in our Society" (Pg 125-142). The Department of School Education & Literacy (Ministry of Education) also made a similar observation and directed that the distribution of this book may be kept on strict hold until further orders. The same has been complied with."
NCERT further said that it holds the judiciary in highest esteem and considers it to be the upholder of the Indian Constitution and protector of fundamental rights and termed the error as "purely unintentional".
The council reiterated that the objective of the new textbooks is to "strengthen constitutional literacy, institutional respect, and informed understanding of democratic participation amongst students". There is no intent to question or diminish the authority of any constitutional body, it said.
"As part of its continuous review process, NCERT remains open to constructive feedback. And hence, the same shall be re-written, with consultation of the appropriate authority, as necessary, and would be made available to students of Class 8 accordingly on the commencement of academic session 2026-27," the release mentioned.
"NCERT, once again, regrets this error of judgement and apologises while re-iterating our resolve to continuously work for institutional sanctity and respect," it added.
It is worth mentioning here that a three-judge bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi has taken suo motu cognisance of the "objectionable" statements about the judiciary in NCERT textbooks after senior advocate Kapil Sibal, alongside Abhishek Singhvi, mentioned the matter for urgent consideration. The Apex Court is scheduled to hear the case on Thursday.
On Wednesday, CJI Kant strongly objected to a chapter on judicial corruption in the NCERT's Class-8 curriculum, saying nobody on earth will be allowed to defame the judiciary and taint its integrity.
The NCERT's new social science textbooks for Class-8 mentioned that corruption, a massive backlog of cases, and the lack of an adequate number of judges are among the challenges faced by the judicial system.
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