Supreme Court Raises Objection to NCERT Textbook Reference on Corruption in the Judicial System

New Delhi: The Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction over the inclusion of a reference to corruption in the judicial system in the NCERT Social Science textbook for Class 8. The matter was heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi. Expressing serious concern over NCERT's action, the Court took suo motu cognizance of the issue.

Chief Justice Surya Kant stated that no one should be allowed to defame the institution or the judicial system, calling the inclusion a planned move. He remarked that teaching eighth-grade students about corruption in the justice system is a serious matter.

The Union Law Ministry stepped up following the provocation. The ministry had announced yesterday that the Chief Justice's office had received 7,528 complaints against sitting judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, with data spanning 2019–2025. The NCERT reference came to the Court’s notice shortly after this announcement.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal brought the matter to the Court's attention. The section describing the challenges faced by the Indian judicial system contained remarks that provoked the Court. Topics such as corruption, the backlog of cases, and the shortage of judges were included under a separate heading in the new textbook. NCERT had newly added this section for adolescent students.

The chapter, titled "The Role of the Judicial System in Our Country," describes the judiciary’s role in society. However, unrelated and inappropriate references were added in the revised chapter. In addition to explaining the hierarchy of courts, the lesson also discussed challenges faced by the justice system, including corruption and case backlogs. It further attempted to highlight the government’s efforts to implement technical systems to address such issues.