The Supreme Court is set to deliver a landmark ruling this Thursday amid furor over a NCERT Class 8 textbook chapter brazenly titled ‘Corruption in the Judiciary.’ Triggering suo motu action, the development has exposed cracks in educational content oversight.
Presided by CJI Suryakant alongside Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, the bench was alerted by eminent counsels Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, and Mukul Rohatgi during Wednesday’s proceedings. The CJI’s rebuke was scathing: ‘As steward of this institution, I won’t allow its defamation by anyone, big or small. Law will prevail—suo motu cognizance taken.’
Launched February 24, the new Social Science textbook included the contentious passage, igniting nationwide debate. NCERT responded with contrition, pulling back all copies and pledging revisions.
The government’s School Education and Literacy Department mandated a distribution freeze. In its mea culpa, NCERT clarified the error was unintentional, aimed at no discredit to judicial honor. A revamped chapter, vetted by specialists, will reach students by the 2026-27 session.
This fiasco prompts deeper questions on ideological influences in syllabus design. With the apex court stepping in, expectations run high for directives that fortify content integrity. NCERT’s remorse and corrective steps may mitigate damage, yet the incident serves as a wake-up call for rigorous pre-publication reviews in shaping young minds.