Parmod Kumar
New Delhi, Mar 11 (UNI) While stating that it was “disturbed” by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) informing that the controversial chapter on judicial corruption in the Class 8 Social Science book has been “duly rewritten” and that the revised chapter will be incorporated in textbooks for the 2026–27 academic year, the Supreme Court on Wednesday barred the Central and State governments from engaging the authors of the controversial chapter in curriculum development projects or textbook preparation exercises.
Stating that it was disturbed that the chapter had been revised without disclosing the identities of those involved in rewriting it, a Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi questioned how such a revision could take place without revealing the experts involved in the exercise and the process followed for its approval.
The Bench indicated that any revision of such sensitive content should be undertaken only after scrutiny by a committee of domain experts. It directed the union government to constitute a panel comprising individuals with relevant expertise. The Court clarified that the chapter should not be published or included in textbooks unless it receives the approval of this expert committee.
The Court also took note of the names of individuals who were associated with the preparation of the earlier chapter. It observed that the material in the book appeared to stem either from a lack of adequate knowledge about the judiciary or from a deliberate attempt to create a negative impression among young students and malign the institution.
In view of these concerns, the Bench directed the Central government as well as State governments and public institutions not to involve the authors of the original chapter in any curriculum development projects or textbook preparation exercises funded by public resources.
The Court further asked the union government to revisit the functioning and composition of the National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee to ensure proper scrutiny of educational content before it is included in school curricula.
At the same time, the Bench clarified that its directions were “not intended to prevent any healthy and legitimate criticism of the institutional functioning of the judiciary.” It observed that if the judiciary, like any other institution, suffers from deficiencies and an expert committee highlights them, it would be a welcome step for future generations.
The matter will be taken up again after the government submits details regarding the proposed expert committee and the review process.
