In Chapter 4, the Class 8 Social Sciences textbook outlines structural challenges facing courts, including judge shortages, procedural complexity and infrastructure gaps, and links these issues to concerns about public confidence in the justice system.
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has apologised for what it described as a “purely unintentional” inclusion of ‘inappropriate material” in a Class 8 Social Science textbook, after the Supreme Court sharply criticised a chapter referring to judicial corruption and ordered the book’s distribution to be halted.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, NCERT said that certain “inappropriate textual material” had inadvertently appeared in Chapter 4, The Role of Judiciary in our Society, of the newly-released Social Science textbook Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Vol II.
“The error is purely unintentional and NCERT regrets the inclusion of inappropriate material in the said chapter. NCERT reiterates that the objective of the new textbooks is to strengthen constitutional literacy, institutional respect, and informed understanding of democratic participation amongst students,” it said.
Following observations by the Department of School Education and Literacy under the Ministry of Education, NCERT said it immediately placed the textbook’s distribution on hold and removed it from circulation.
The chapter will now be rewritten in consultation with appropriate authorities and republished for students from the 2026–27 academic session.
NCERT emphasised that it holds the judiciary in the “highest esteem” as the guardian of the Constitution and protector of fundamental rights, adding that the objective of the new textbooks is to strengthen constitutional literacy and institutional respect among students.
“There is no intent to question or diminish the authority of any constitutional body,” the council said.
“As part of its continuous review process, NCERT remains open to constructive feedback… NCERT, once again, regrets this error of judgement and apologises while re-iterating our resolve to continuously work for institutional sanctity and respect,” it added.
The controversy erupted on Wednesday after a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant took suo motu cognisance of the issue after it was mentioned for urgent hearing by senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi.
Expressing strong displeasure, the Chief Justice described the textbook content as a serious matter and said the court would not allow any attempt to defame or question the integrity of the judiciary.
He noted that he had received numerous messages, including from High Court judges, raising concern over the references.
THE TEXTBOOK CONTROVERSY
The Class 8 Social Science textbook includes a section discussing corruption within the judiciary alongside India’s mounting case backlog.
In Chapter 4, The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society, the book outlines structural challenges facing courts, including judge shortages, procedural complexity and infrastructure gaps, and links these issues to concerns about public confidence in the justice system.
References to how corruption can affect judicial credibility triggered objections from the judiciary.
The chapter also presents data on pendency, stating that the Supreme Court of India has roughly 81,000 pending cases.
