'Should have applied their minds': NCERT rebuked over 'corruption in judiciary' section

Government sources said if the issue of corruption was to be included in the textbook, it should have been related to all three organs -- the executive, judiciary and the legislature, they said.

As a controversy erupted around NCERT's new Social Science textbook for Class 8 regarding a section on "corruption in judiciary", sources within the government lashed out at the educational body saying, that officials responsible for adding chapters should have applied their minds.

The government sources said that while NCERT is an autonomous body, officials responsible for adding chapters should have applied their minds. If the issue of corruption was to be included in the textbook, it should have been related to all three organs -- the executive, judiciary and the legislature, they said.

A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi has taken suo motu cognisance of the "objectionable" statements about the judiciary in NCERT textbooks after senior advocate Kapil Sibal, alongside Abhishek Singhvi, mentioned the matter for urgent consideration.

CJI Kant strongly objected to the chapter, saying nobody on earth will be allowed to defame the judiciary and taint its integrity.

The National Council of Educational Research and Training's (NCERT's) new social science textbooks for Class 8 say corruption, a massive backlog of cases, and the lack of an adequate number of judges are among the challenges faced by the judicial system.

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).

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.

The government sources said that data on corruption in the judiciary is available in parliamentary records and the national judicial data grid, but the Union Law Ministry was not consulted for cross verification of the fact.

The sources also said former CJI Gavai's quote on corruption in the judiciary was taken out of context, and he is learnt to be unhappy over it.

Meanwhile, the NCERT is said to have called an internal meeting to review the recommendations of the subject experts involved in the chapter and the officials who approved it.

(with PTI inputs)