In a dramatic courtroom moment that sent ripples across the legal fraternity, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant took strong exception to portions of a new NCERT Class 8 social science textbook referring to “corruption in judiciary.” Flagging the institutional stakes involved, the Supreme Court signalled that it would not ignore what it views as a potentially damaging portrayal of the justice system, with the CJI indicating that the Court is already examining the issue on its own motion.
The controversy erupted after reports highlighted that the revised NCERT textbook lists “corruption in judiciary” and “massive backlogs” among key systemic challenges. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, joined by Senior Advocate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, mentioned the issue before the Bench, expressing alarm that schoolchildren were being introduced to such content without contextual balance.
Sibal described the material as deeply troubling for members of the institution, while Singhvi questioned the apparent selectivity, arguing that the text allegedly singled out the judiciary without comparable references to corruption in other public institutions. The exchange underscored a broader concern: whether educational framing had crossed into institutional denigration.
Responding firmly, the CJI made it clear that the matter had already caught his attention. “I will not allow anyone on earth to taint the integrity of the institution and defame the institution. At any cost, I will not permit it,” he said, revealing that he had initiated suo motu proceedings. He added that judges across High Courts were “perturbed” and that he had “already passed an order” to take up the issue. Justice Bagchi also remarked that “Constitutional integrity to the basic structure is missing in the structure of the book.”
Consequently, the Supreme Court has taken cognisance of the issue suo motu, setting the stage for judicial scrutiny of the textbook’s contents.
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