New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of a section in the newly released NCERT Class 8 social science textbook that discusses corruption within the judiciary. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant described the inclusion of this content as a “calculated move” and asserted that he would not allow anyone to defame the institution.
The issue was brought to the court’s attention by senior counsel Kapil Sibal, who expressed deep concern that Class 8 students were being taught that the judiciary is corrupt. Sibal noted that the legal community and high court judges across the country are “perturbed” by the material. In response, the Chief Justice confirmed that he had already taken cognisance of the matter in his capacity as the head of the institution and stated that “law will take its own course”. Senior counsel AM Singhvi also criticized the section, questioning why the judiciary was being “selectively targeted”.
The controversial content is part of a chapter titled “The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society” in the Part II Social Science textbook, which was released on February 23, 2026, after significant delays. The section in question outlines several critical points:
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Corruption and Conduct: It states that judges are governed by a code of conduct both inside and outside the court.
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Grievance Data: The textbook mentions that over 1,600 complaints were received against the judiciary through the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) between 2017 and 2021.
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Judicial Accountability: The chapter quotes former CJI BR Gavai from July 2025 regarding the need for “swift, decisive and transparent action” to rebuild public trust through accountability.
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Pending Cases: It provides data on the massive backlog of cases, including 81,000 in the Supreme Court, 62.4 lakh in high courts, and 4.7 crore in subordinate courts.
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Delayed Justice: The text highlights that three-fourths of high court cases have been unresolved for over a year, with some remaining stagnant for more than 50 years.
While the NCERT text frames these points around transparency and democratic virtues, the Supreme Court’s intervention suggests a significant conflict between educational content and the perceived integrity of the judicial branch.
