Corruption, case backlog, too few judges: NCERT book lists challenges in judicial system

The revised chapter, titled 'The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society', goes beyond explaining the hierarchy of courts, and addresses challenges faced by the judicial system.

New Delhi: Corruption, massive backlog of cases, and lack of an adequate number of judges are among the "challenges" faced by the judicial system, according to the new social science NCERT textbook for class 8.

The section "corruption in the judiciary" in the new book states that judges are bound by a code of conduct that governs not only their behaviour in court, but also how they conduct themselves outside it.

The revised chapter, titled 'The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society', goes beyond explaining the hierarchy of courts and access to justice, and addresses challenges faced by the judicial system.

The earlier editions of the textbook largely focused on the structure and role of courts.

"....people do experience corruption at various levels of the judiciary. For the poor and the disadvantaged, this can worsen the issue of access to justice. Hence, efforts are constantly being made at the State and Union levels to build faith and increase transparency in the judicial system, including through the use of technology, and to take swift and decisive action against instances of corruption wherever they may arise," the chapter reads.

The book pegs the approximate number of pending cases in the Supreme Court at 81,000, in high courts at 62.40 lakh, and district and subordinate courts at 4.70 crore.

It highlights the judiciary's internal accountability mechanisms and refers to the established procedure for receiving complaints through the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS).

According to the book, over 1,600 complaints were received through this mechanism between 2017 and 2021.

The textbook also quotes former Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, who in July 2025 said that instances of corruption and misconduct within the judiciary had a negative impact on public confidence.

"However, the path to rebuilding this trust lies in the swift, decisive and transparent action taken to address and resolve these issues... Transparency and accountability are democratic virtues," he is quoted as saying in the book.