The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday issued show cause notices to the NCERT Director and the School Education Secretary. They have been asked to explain why action should not be taken against those responsible for publishing a Class 8 NCERT book chapter on corruption in the judiciary.
The Court also imposed a complete ban on the Class 8 NCERT book that contains the chapter. It ordered that all printed copies be seized and all digital versions be taken down. The apex court directed both the Centre and state authorities to follow its orders immediately. It warned that “serious action” would be taken if the directions are ignored.
Nearly 32 books have already reached the market and are now being withdrawn. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant said there appeared to be a planned attempt to weaken the institution and damage the dignity of the judiciary.
Suo Motu Case Against NCERT
The bench said that such conduct, which could have a lasting impact on the judiciary, may amount to criminal contempt. “We would like to have a deeper probe,” the bench said.
The Court added that if this issue is not addressed, it could reduce public trust in the judiciary. During the hearing, the bench questioned Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was appearing for NCERT. “No one will be allowed to go scot-free,” the Chief Justice said. He added, “It is my duty as the head of the institution to find out who is responsible; heads must roll.”
On Wednesday, February 25, the Supreme Court took suo motu notice of a matter related to a “selective mention” in the NCERT textbook. The issue concerns references to “corruption” within the judicial system.
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, heard the matter titled ‘In Social Science Textbook for Grade 8 (Part 2) published by NCERT and related matters’.
The revised Class 8 Social Science textbook, released by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Monday, includes a section on “judicial corruption.” This section is part of a chapter called “The judiciary’s role within our society.”
The chapter discusses “corruption at various levels of the judiciary” and mentions a large backlog of cases. It says the backlog is due to several reasons, including a shortage of judges, complex legal procedures, and poor infrastructure. These are described as challenges faced by the judicial system.
Chief Justice Surya Kant said there seems to be a deep-rooted and well-planned conspiracy to defame the judiciary. The Supreme Court also criticized NCERT’s communication issued on Wednesday. It noted that the statement did not include a single word of apology and instead tried to justify the content.
At the start of the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta offered an unconditional and unqualified apology on behalf of the Ministry of Education. The bench has scheduled the matter for further hearing on March 11.
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