SC Bans NCERT Book Over 'Corruption In Judiciary' Section; Edu Minister Says 'No Intention To Insult'
Solicitor General said 32 books that went into market are being withdrawn, the rest will not be circulated, and the entire chapter will be revisited.
By Sumit Saxena
Published : February 26, 2026 at 11:27 AM IST
|Updated : February 26, 2026 at 9:48 PM IST
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday imposed a blanket ban on the NCERT Class 8 Social Science textbook carrying a section on "corruption in the judiciary", and ordered a seizure of all physical copies, along with the takedown of its digital forms.
Hours after the SC rap, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, while speaking to reporters in Jamshedpur, expressed anguish over the matter and promised to fix accountability and take action against those involved in drafting the controversial portion. The minister said there was "no intention to insult the judiciary".
Earlier in the day, the apex court issued a show-cause notice to the Secretary of the School Education Department, Ministry of Education and NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani, as to why suitable action, either under the Contempt of Courts Act or any other provisions of law, should not be initiated.
The matter came up before a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi. At the outset, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said: "We tender an unconditional and unqualified apology, and the Secretary of School Education is present in the courtroom and NCERT has published an apology."
The CJI said, referring to the NCERT press release, that there is not a single word of apology in it. "Prima facie, examination of book contents, it seems to us that there is a calculative move to undermine the institution and demean the dignity of the judiciary," he said.
Mehta said the two individuals who prepared this chapter will never be associated with any activity of this ministry. The CJI said that would be a very light action. "They have fired the gunshot and the judiciary is bleeding today," the CJI said.
"When there is a mounting attack on us, we know even how to maintain objectivity during that time also….it is in public domain, it is available on different social media sites…I also got a copy from somewhere," said the CJI.
He indicated that the court may order a deeper probe into the matter.
"The text unfortunately fails to acknowledge the imperative role of the judiciary in upholding the constitutional morality and basic structure doctrine...it seems to us that the choice of words in the book may not be a simpliciter inadvertent or bona fide error. At this juncture, we do not propose initiate suo moto to stifle any legitimate critic," the CJI remarked.
Mehta said 32 books that went into the market are being withdrawn, the rest will not be circulated, and the entire chapter will be revisited by a new team.
"It is a very calculated move…the entire teaching community will be told, and then they will teach the students. The entire teaching community is told judiciary is corrupt, there is a lot of pendency….parents will also study and not even a single part of society has been left out. It is deep-rooted and well planned…," said the CJI.
Justice Bagchi pointed out that these excerpts appear to be lopsided without emphasising the performance of the judiciary as a protector of the Constitution, which has not been done, and even the access to justice aspect is not highlighted at all.
"We like to have a deeper probe…it is my duty to find out who is the person responsible. If there is more than one, then heads must roll! Accountability must be there. We are not going to close these proceedings till I am satisfied," said the CJI.
The bench posted the matter for further hearing on March 11. The bench said that the necessity for judicial intervention in the NCERT book matter has arisen not from a desire to suppress criticism but from the imperative to safeguard the pedagogical integrity of the national curriculum.
“It shall be the personal responsibility of the Director, NCERT and the Principal of every school, where the Book has been circulated or prescribed to: (a) effectuate the immediate seizure and sealing of all the physical and digital copy of the book within their respective premises and submit a compliance report; and (b) ensure that no further pedagogical instructions are imparted based on the contents of the physical or digital copy of the subject book”, said the apex court.
Education Minister Expresses Regret
Expressing anguish over the issue, Education Minister Pradhan said accountability will be fixed and action taken against those involved in drafting the controversial portion.
Speaking to reporters, Pradhan also underlined that the government has full respect for the judiciary and has no intent of disrespecting the institution.
"I am very sad at what has happened and express regret... There was no intention to insult the judiciary. An inquiry will be conducted and accountability fixed. Action will be taken against those involved in drafting the chapter. As soon as we got to know (about it), the circulation of the textbooks was put on hold," the minister said, according to PTI.
"In a democratic country like India, the judiciary is supreme and we have utmost respect for it. We have taken the issue very seriously. The court's directives will be complied with," he said.
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