SC bans NCERT Class 8 book with section on ‘corruption in judiciary’ as Centre apologises

The Supreme Court on Thursday banned the publication and re-printing of the National Council of Educational Research and Training’s new Class 8 social science textbook, which included a section on “corruption in the judiciary”, reported Live Law.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi told the Union government and state education departments to ensure that all copies of the book, printed or digital, are removed from public access, according to Bar and Bench.

The NCERT is an educational body that advises the Union government on school syllabi.

A chapter on “The role of the judiciary in our society” in the new Class 8 social science book had listed “corruption at various levels of the judiciary” as among the challenges that the judicial system faces, reported The Indian Express on Wednesday.

Later in the day, the Supreme Court said that it had taken suo moto cognisance of the matter. “I will not allow anyone on earth to taint the integrity of the institution and defame the institution,” the chief justice said.

Here’s more on this:

• Appearing for the Union government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on Thursday apologised to the Supreme Court and said that the NCERT had withdrawn the Class 8 social science textbook, reported Bar and Bench.

• However, the bench said that the press release issued by the NCERT did not...

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