The Supreme Court ordered a blanket ban on an NCERT Class 8 textbook chapter on “corruption within the judiciary.” It issued show cause notices to the Education Secretary and NCERT Director, calling the inclusion a “well-planned conspiracy.”
Supreme Court Orders Ban, Calls Chapter a ‘Conspiracy’
The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a complete blanket ban on both the reprinting and online circulation of NCERT’s latest Class 8 Social Science textbook, addressing the issue of “corruption within the judiciary”.
The Court issued show cause notices to the Secretary of the Department of Education and Literacy under the Ministry of Education and Dinesh Prashad Saklani, Director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), asking them to explain why action should not be initiated under contempt or other applicable laws for including a sub-chapter titled “Corruption in the judiciary” in a textbook. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M Pancholi refused to halt suo motu proceedings despite NCERT’s apology over the controversial inclusion and imposed a blanket ban on the contentious section. The court warned that any attempt to bypass its order would amount to direct interference with the administration of justice and could attract contempt of court proceedings.
The apex court also directed NCERT to place on record detailed documents related to the Teaching-Learning Materials Committee that approved the chapter, including the names, qualifications and credentials of all members of the development team. “They have fired the gun and the judiciary is bleeding today. Today, anybody can say anything. At times, there is a mounting attack on us, and we are aware of it. The material is available online, on the internet, and even in stores. This is a very calculated move — the entire teaching will be dictated. When you look at how the Indian judiciary is portrayed as corrupt, it becomes evident what message is being sent. The entire teaching community will first be instructed that this is what they have to teach. In reality, not a single section of society has been left untouched. It is a deep-rooted, well-planned, and orchestrated conspiracy,” the CJI said.
NCERT to Investigate ‘Error of Judgment’
According to the sources, the NCERT Director is ascertaining the process of preparation of the textbooks which led to this “error of judgment” and identifying the persons and processes responsible. The exercise, sources added, would ensure that such inappropriateness is avoided in future with utmost strictness.
Legal Fraternity Condemns Move
Reacting to the development, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and Chairman of the Bar Council of India, Manan Kumar Mishra, said the Supreme Court had “adopted a very firm stance.” “The Supreme Court today adopted a very firm stance and took this issue very seriously. I was also present in the court. Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta’s stance was also very clear on how such a title was given to a chapter. The Supreme Court has ordered today that there should be an investigation. The date of March 11 has been set. On that day, further proceedings will take place. Whoever is found guilty will face the strictest possible action,” he said. He noted that the Solicitor General assured the court that an inquiry would identify those responsible.
Senior Advocate and President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Vikas Singh, described the inclusion of the chapter as “very shocking,” stating that singling out the judiciary for corruption sends a wrong message to impressionable young minds. He said that while corruption should be discussed and children must be taught integrity and values, targeting one constitutional institution distorts perspective.
Members of the National Bar Council also extended strong support to the apex court over the issuance of notices to senior officials of NCERT and the Education Ministry.
Political Reactions Pour In
BJD MP Sasmit Patra backed the court’s suo motu action, calling the curriculum “unwarranted and deplorable.” Speaking to ANI, he said, “I strongly support the views of CJI Justice Surya Kant not only as a parliamentarian but also as a member of the Supreme Court bar because such curriculum which seems to be denigrating the image of the judiciary in books, is extremely unwarranted and deplorable. The Supreme Court has already taken a suo motu case in this regard. Not only the withdrawal of the books but also finding who all are responsible for this and ensuring a framework that such curriculum does not get into textbooks or any other public platform… proper precautions need to be taken.”
Further, Karnataka Minister MC Sudhakar termed it a serious issue, saying any mention of the judiciary in such a context is not in good taste and is “unacceptable.” “It’s a serious issue because this should not be taught to students. I don’t know how NCERT could ignore something so important, which could really demoralise the judiciary. What the Chief Justice of India has done, I think, could be considered a little harsh – I can’t comment on that. But any mention of the judiciary in such a context is not in good taste and is unacceptable,” he said. He added, “I think they (NCERT) should apply their minds properly and ensure they do not cross their limits on certain issues. I don’t know whether this was deliberate, but it is a serious matter. It has been taken very seriously by the ethics code, and we need to be careful in the days to come.”
Another Karnataka Minister, Priyank Kharge, said, “While the court has justified what it has done, a little more proactivity from the court would also help. A lot of misinformation is being put in our textbooks, whether it is altered history, mythology being passed off as history, the decline of scientific temperament in society, or the erosion of the social fabric of the country. While the Supreme Court has safeguarded the institution, which is of prime importance because people still have faith in it, I think the Supreme Court should also take action on many other issues, which would help the progress of the country.”
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh backed the Supreme Court’s outrage over critical references to the judiciary in NCERT textbooks, and called for an investigation into what he termed as the RSS’s “vile and malice-driven work” over the past decade. “The Supreme Court’s outrage over the critical references to the judiciary in NCERT textbooks is justified. In fact, the way NCERT textbooks have been rewritten over the past decade is shameful. This is the vile and malice-driven work of the RSS. In reality, this entire gang should be investigated,” Ramesh posted on X.
Next Hearing on March 11
The matter is scheduled for further hearing on March 11, with the apex court making it clear that accountability will be fixed following the inquiry. Following the notices by the top court, the Centre has begun the process of recalling all physical and online copies of the book, with the Education Ministry writing to Information and Broadcasting Ministry to ensure removal of online copies too.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)