Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has pulled its new Class 8 Social Science textbook from sale after it included a section on “corruption in the judiciary,” sources told ANI on Wednesday.The move came hours after the matter was raised in the Supreme Court, with chief Justice of India (CJI), Surya Kant, asserting that no one would be allowed to “defame” the institution of judiciary. The top court also initiated suo moto proceedings regarding the inclusion of the section in the textbook.Also Read | ‘Will not allow anybody to defame SC’: CJI pulls up NCERT over text on judicial corruption“I’m fully aware of it. We will wait for a day. This definitely concerns the entire institution—both bar and bench. I am getting a lot of calls, lots of messages. I’m taking suo moto cognisance of the issue. I will not let anybody, no matter how high up they are, defame the institution,” CJI Kant said.The issue was raised before the CJI-led bench by senior lawyers Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi. They argued that students were being taught about corruption in the judiciary as if it existed in no other institution. “They have left out bureaucracy, politics, etc. Not a word on other sectors. They are teaching as if it only exists in this institution,” the two senior lawyers remarked.The CJI acknowledged the gravity of the matter, calling it “a calculated and deep-rooted thing,” and added, “We will not say anything more than that. As the head of the institution, I’m aware, I’m already doing something about it.”The inclusion of such a section marked a notable shift from previous editions, which largely focused on the structure and role of courts. The revised chapter, titled “The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society,” goes beyond explaining court hierarchy and access to justice, addressing challenges faced by the judicial system, including corruption and case backlogs.
