A day before the Supreme Court is set to take up the matter of the now-withdrawn social science textbook for Class 8, NCERT has tendered an “unconditional and unqualified apology” for the chapter on the judiciary.
“The National Council of Educational Research and Training [NCERT] has recently published a social science textbook, “Exploring Society: India and Beyond,” Grade 8 (Part II), which contained Chapter IV titled “The Role of Judiciary in our Society.” The Director and Members of NCERT hereby tender an unconditional and unqualified apology for the said Chapter IV. The entire book has been withdrawn and is not available,” the Council said.
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“We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate the understanding of all stakeholders. NCERT remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of accuracy, sensitivity, and responsibility in educational content,” NCERT added in a post on X.
In the chapter on the role of the judiciary, the book, released two weeks ago, contained a section on “corruption in the judiciary”.
The Indian Express report on February 23.
What Supreme Court said
Taking up a suo motu case in the matter, the Supreme Court came down heavily on NCERT, calling it a “calculated move to undermine and demean the dignity of the judiciary”. The top court imposed a “complete blanket ban” on further publication, reprinting or digital dissemination of the book.
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Hearing the matter in February, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said, “As head of the judiciary, it is my duty to find out who is the person responsible. If there is more than one, heads must roll. Accountability must be there. I am not going to close these proceedings until I am satisfied.”
The Supreme Court, referring to the NCERT director, stated in its order, “Instead of having an introspection of what had been written in the book in a most reckless, irresponsible, contemptuous and motivated manner, the Director responded in writing, defending the contents of the book.”
NCERT textbook controversy sparks SC scrutiny
The Indian Express first reported on February 24 that the book, released on February 23, contained a section on “corruption in the judiciary”, while the old political science book for Class 8 did not mention it. NCERT pulled the book out of sale on February 24.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that week he was “deeply saddened by what has happened”, and that he immediately directed NCERT to withdraw the book. Pradhan added that action would be taken against those involved in preparing the chapter.
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On February 25, the Supreme Court registered a suo motu case in the matter. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant took serious exception to the content and said he “will not allow anyone on earth to play with the integrity and to defame the institution”.
“As head of the judiciary, it is my duty to find out who is responsible. If there is more than one, heads must roll. Accountability must be there. I am not going to close these proceedings until I am satisfied,” CJI Kant said.
NCERT issued a statement on the same day, stating that the inappropriate material had “inadvertently crept into” the chapter and would be rewritten for the next academic session.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took strong exception to the inclusion of the section on “corruption in the judiciary”. At a Cabinet meeting on February 24, PM Modi asked Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to identify those responsible and determine who should be held accountable, The Indian Express reported.
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The Prime Minister was said to have asked why Class 8 students were being taught such chapters and who was monitoring the content in textbooks.
NCERT Class 8 textbook controversy timeline
February 24: The Indian Express reported that the new Class 8 social science textbook, released on February 23, included a chapter on “corruption in the judiciary”. The book was pulled from sale on the same day. At a Cabinet meeting, PM Modi asked Education Minister Pradhan to determine who was responsible and who should be held accountable.
February 25: The Supreme Court registered a suo motu case in the matter. NCERT said on the same day that the inappropriate material had “inadvertently crept into” the chapter and would be rewritten for the next academic session.
February 26: The Supreme Court imposed a “complete blanket ban” on further publication, reprinting or digital dissemination of the book. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan expressed regret and said action would be taken against those who prepared the chapter.
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March 10: NCERT tendered an unconditional apology for the chapter, a day before the Supreme Court was scheduled to hear the matter again.
