The Supreme Court has initiated a suo motu case regarding mentions of corruption in the judiciary in a new Class 8 Social Science textbook by NCERT. The Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, is set to address this issue on February 26. This action follows concerns raised over sections of the textbook discussing the judiciary’s operations.
Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi raised objections to the textbook’s portrayal of corruption within the judiciary. CJI Surya Kant expressed strong disapproval of these references, emphasizing the need to maintain the institution’s integrity. He assured that steps were being taken to address the matter promptly.
The controversy stemmed from the revised NCERT textbook aligned with the National Education Policy 2020. The updated chapter not only outlines the judiciary’s structure and functions but also highlights challenges like corruption, case backlogs, and infrastructure issues. NCERT temporarily halted the textbook’s distribution following objections and acknowledged the inadvertent inclusion of inappropriate content.
