The Supreme Court docket on Wednesday stated that it was “disturbed” by the stand of the Nationwide Council for Instructional Analysis and Coaching (NCERT) that the controversial chapter on judicial corruption in Class 8 Social Sciences Guide has been “duly rewritten” and that the revised chapter might be included within the textbooks for the 2026-27 tutorial 12 months.
The Court docket was aghast to notice that even after it expressed its sturdy objections to the chapter within the suo motu case, the NCERT has determined to incorporate the chapter in a rewritten kind.
The truth that the chapter has been rewritten was disclosed within the affidavit filed by the NCERT Director, Professor Dinesh Prasad Saklani, who was earlier issued a discover to point out trigger as to why legal contempt proceedings shouldn’t be initiated. The Court docket was disenchanted to notice that the Director’s affidavit didn’t disclose the “alleged area consultants” who had rewritten the chapter and permitted its incorporation within the subsequent curriculum.
Following the Court docket ventilating its objections, Solicitor Normal of India Tushar Mehta assured that the chapter won’t be reprinted with out the assessment by a high-level committee to be constituted by the Central Authorities.
The bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi directed the Authorities of India to represent a committee of consultants, which ideally contains one former Decide, one academician and one famend practitioner of regulation. With out the approval of the committee, the revised chapter shouldn’t be printed.
“We direct that if in any respect chapter IV has been re-written, the identical shall not be printed until it’s permitted by a committee of area consultants,” the Court docket directed.
Court docket bars members concerned in making the chapter from different Govt tasks
The NCERT Director’s affidavit additional revealed that the controversial chapter was ready underneath the supervision of a visiting professor Mr. Michel Danino. Ms Suparna Diwakar and Mr Alok Prasanna Kumar had been additionally concerned within the course of. As per the method, the chapter needed to be permitted by the Nationwide Syllabus and Instructing Studying Materials Committee (NSTMC). Nonetheless, the chapter was solely digitally circulated to a few of the members of the NSTMC.
Observing that Mr. Michel Danino, Ms Suparna Diwakar and Mr Alok Prasanna Kumar do not need any affordable data in regards to the judiciary, the Court docket directed that they shouldn’t be related to another undertaking.
“On the outset, now we have no cause to doubt that Professor Michel Danino, together with Ms Diwakar and Mr Alok Prasanna Kumar, both doesn’t have affordable data in regards to the Indian judiciary or they intentionally and knowingly misrepresented the information with the intention to undertaking a damaging picture of the Indian judiciary earlier than college students of sophistication 8 who’re at an impressionable age. There isn’t a cause why such individuals be related in any method with the preparation of curriculum or finalisation of textbooks for the following era. We direct the Authorities of India and all states/UTs/Universities and so on. to disassociate 3 of them forthwith and to not assign any duty which entails public funds. This order shall be topic to their approaching this court docket for modification with an evidence. “
The Court docket additional directed that the Union should revisit the composition of NSTC, particularly these to whom the offending chapter was proven. Nonetheless, the Court docket clarified that it was not making any antagonistic touch upon any such member.
Motion ordered in opposition to social media posts
Expressing concern over irresponsible content material circulating on media, the Supreme Court docket directed the Authorities of India to determine the web sites concerned and the individuals working them, and to furnish their full particulars earlier than the Court docket in order that applicable motion could be taken. Observing that the regulation should take its course in opposition to “mischief-mongers”, the Court docket stated it firmly believed in “catching the bull by the horns.” The Chief Justice of India added that the Court docket wouldn’t spare these accountable even when they had been “hiding outdoors the nation.”
On the similar time, the Court docket clarified that it was not against any professional criticism of the judiciary.
“We hasten to reiterate para 9 of our earlier order to state that interim instructions or immediately’s orders should not meant to stop any wholesome and bonafide criticism of the institutional functioning of the judiciary. If the judiciary, like another establishment, is affected by deficiencies, and an skilled committee highlights them, it could be a welcome step for future generations,” the Court docket noticed.
Courtroom change
As quickly because the matter was taken, Solicitor Normal of India Tushar Mehta knowledgeable the Court docket that the NCERT has printed a public apology for publishing the chapter and that the officers are current earlier than the Court docket. The SG additional said that the NCERT has determined to assessment and revisit the chapters of all lessons, and never simply Class 8.
The Chief Justice noticed that it could be higher if the Centre itself constituted a high-level committee to revise the books. “As a substitute of leaving it to NCERT, we might have appreciated if Centre would have constituted some high-level committee,” CJI Surya Kant stated.
The CJI commented that the NCERT’s affidavit confirmed that the curriculum was ready in a really informal method. “Additionally, this affidavit is eye-opening. Curriculum is issued with out approval at any stage! If that is the informal means, Mr SG, what do you count on from us?”
The bench additionally expressed unhappiness with a press release within the affidavit of NCERT Director that the chapter has been re-written, asking underneath whose approval it was re-written.
Justice Bagchi stated, “You say it (chapter) has been re-written…who has re-written? The place is it? Para 15, NCERT director says that after this was flagged, chapter IV has been duly re-written. Who re-wrote? what are the current contents? That is the way wherein the deponent says…laconic assertion”.
The NCERT Director’s affidavit said : “That in mild of the instructions issued by the Division of Faculty Training and Literacy, Ministry of Training, Govt. of India, vide Letter F. No. 15-5/2026-NCERT dated 27.02.2026 to NCERT, the involved Chapter 4 of the topic textbook has been duly rewritten. It’s additional submitted that the revised chapter shall be included within the forthcoming tutorial session 2026-27 and shall be used for classroom transactions in faculties throughout all States and Union Territories: in accordance with the relevant curriculum and tutorial framework.”
The Solicitor Normal then assured that the chapter won’t go into the textbook till the high-level committee reviewed it.
It might be recalled that on February 26, the Court docket issued an entire ban on the publication, re-printing and digital dissemination of the e-book containing the inappropriate content material. Any sharing of the content material, in any kind, might be taken significantly, it stated.
Additional, the Court docket issued a show-cause discover to the Secretary of Faculty Training, Ministry of Training and the NCERT Director, as to why motion underneath the Contempt of Courts Act or another regulation shouldn’t be taken in opposition to them. It prima facie noticed that the publication of the e-book was a severe misconduct, which may come throughout the purview of legal contempt of Court docket, if proved to be a deliberate act to scandalize the judiciary.
Throughout the listening to, the CJI got here down closely on NCERT’s publication of the textbook with references to “corruption in judiciary” and stated that the Court docket will study whether or not the general public remorse expressed by the NCERT (after the Court docket expressed its displeasure) was real or an try and wriggle out of legal legal responsibility.
Yesterday, the NCERT issued a public apology for publishing the objectionable chapter. The press launch tendered an “unconditional and unqualified apology” and said: “The Director and Members of NCERT hereby tender an unconditional and unqualified apology for the stated Chapter IV. All the e-book has been withdrawn and isn’t accessible.”
Background
To recap, on February 24, some media experiences printed that the brand new NCERT social science textual content e-book for Class 8 listed ‘corruption in judiciary’ and case backlogs as main challenges. Yesterday morning, Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal and Dr AM Singhvi orally talked about their considerations over the textbook content material earlier than the CJI bench, saying that it was scandalizing your entire judiciary.
In response, the CJI stated that he was conscious of the difficulty and plenty of judges had been perturbed by the developments. “I can’t permit anybody on the earth to taint the integrity and defame your entire establishment,” CJI remarked, revealing that he had handed orders to take suo motu motion. The CJI additional commented that the transfer seemed to be a “calculated measure”.
After he expressed his displeasure, NCERT reportedly withdrew the e-book and issued the next assertion: “As a part of its steady assessment course of, NCERT stays open to constructive suggestions. And therefore, the identical shall be rewritten, with session of the suitable authority, as mandatory, and could be accessible to college students of sophistication 8 accordingly on the graduation of the tutorial session 2026-27.”
The assertion additional acknowledged that the content material within the chapter was “inappropriate” and defined that the “error of judgment” was unintentional.
Case Title: In Re : Social Science Textbook for Grade-8(Half 2) printed by NCERT and ancillary points | SMW (C) 1/2026
