The Supreme Court has closed its suo motu proceedings over controversial content in a Class 8 NCERT social science textbook that referred to corruption in the judiciary. The Centre revised the chapter, withdrew the original volume and confirmed that updated textbooks are now in circulation.
The Supreme Court has concluded its suo motu proceedings over controversial material in a social science textbook for Class 8 NCERT. The chapter in question had allegedly referred to corruption within the judicial system. Following the controversy, the centre constituted an expert panel, the problematic chapter was revised and the textbook volume containing the original content was withdrawn. Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta informed the Court that textbooks featuring the revised chapter are now in circulation.
A section in the Volume 2 Class 8 NCERT textbook titled Exploring Society: India and Beyond identified as "corruption at various levels of the judiciary" alongside a massive backlog of cases attributed to inadequate judicial strength, complex legal procedures, and poor infrastructure as key challenges facing the judicial system.
Taking strong exception to the text, the Supreme Court initiated suo motu proceedings, observing that the contents were capable of undermining the dignity and public trust in the judiciary. NCERT subsequently described the inclusion as an inadvertent error of judgment, halted the printing and distribution of Volume 2, and committed to revising the content.
Read more about the controversy here.
During the proceedings, three academicians involved in the drafting process, Professor Michel Danino, Suparna Diwakar, and Alok Prasanna Kumar, approached the Court. Represented by Senior Advocate Arvind Datar, they challenged earlier observations, contending that the Court's previous order (dated May 22) implied they had acted negligently or had been blacklisted without an opportunity to defend themselves.
Senior Advocate Datar clarified the institutional process, explaining that NCERT textbooks undergo rigorous multi-tier reviews by two separate committees (comprising 44 and 8 members respectively). He affirmed that proof of proper submission by the drafting team could be provided to show they had not acted unilaterally or bypassed protocol.
Read more about the case here.
A Supreme Court Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai along with Justices K.V. Viswanathan and Sandeep Mehta heard the matter. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta clarified that the Centre had not alleged any deliberate failure by the academicians to submit the curriculum. He explained his submission was strictly factual: the specific controversial phrasing had not been placed before the full review committee, meaning the final text could not be deemed a collective decision of the entire panel.
In response to the academicians' concerns, the Bench made it clear that the comments mentioned in the May 22 ruling were only arguments made on behalf of the NCERT and did not represent official conclusions or findings by the Court against the authors.
Satisfied with this clarification and the Centre's confirmation that the revised textbooks were already in circulation, the Supreme Court formally disposed of the main suo motu case and all connected applications.
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