The Centre on Thursday apologised before the Supreme Court over the controversial chapter on judiciary corruption in a Class 8 NCERT Social Sciences textbook. On its part, the court warned of possible contempt proceedings against the council chief over the incriminating content.
“We would like to have a deeper probe. As head of the judiciary, it is my duty to ensure accountability, heads must roll. I will not close these proceedings until there is some accountability. We want to know who the people behind this are,” Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said.
The NCERT judiciary chapter row escalated on Wednesday after the CJI sharply criticised the content as a grave matter, warning that the Supreme Court would not permit any attempt to defame or undermine the integrity of the judiciary.
During the hearing today, the CJI expressed concern over the impact of the material, and said, “If you teach the entire teaching community and the students that the judiciary is corrupt — what message will go? Teachers will learn it, parents will learn it.”
The Chief Justice also noted that despite the government’s claim that the publication had been withdrawn, it continued to circulate widely. “You say the publication is withdrawn — it’s there in the market, it’s there on social media. I also got a copy of the book,” he said, adding that the “judiciary is bleeding today” amid the fallout.
In its order, the CJI directed that all copies of the book containing the chapter be immediately “seized.”
Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the government had taken serious note of the issue and moved swiftly once the objectionable material surfaced. “The two people involved with this chapter will never be involved with any activity of this ministry in the future — even any other ministry,” he told the court, stressing that the Centre was not taking an adversarial stand.
“We are agreeing with the court that action must be taken till Your Lordships are satisfied,” the Solicitor General said, adding that statutory powers were available to curb digital circulation of excerpts. “MeitY has the statutory power to issue take-down orders.”
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who had raised the issue, said the PDF version was already widespread. “Circulation of the PDF is more than the hard copy,” he noted.
Justice Joymalya Bagchi also observed that online excerpts continued to circulate and said it was for the government to act. “Some of these articles are in the digital domain — it’s for the government to issue take-down orders,” he said, adding that the chapter disproportionately focused on corruption and pendency without addressing legal aid or access to justice.
The bench further questioned the administrative response from NCERT, remarking that instead of introspection over what it described as “reckless, irresponsible and contemptuous” content, the council’s director had defended the chapter. The court said the episode appeared to reflect a “calculated move to undermine the authority and demean the dignity of the judiciary,” warning that such material, if unchecked, could erode public trust — especially among students.
– Ends
