How an NCERT chapter on judiciary sparked Supreme Court fury, invited ban
India Today
A Social Science textbook recently released by NCERT, which carried a section on 'corruption in judiciary', has the Supreme Court seeing red. The court, which described it as a deep-rooted conspiracy, has not only barred the sharing of the content but also banned the book altogether.
A small section on "corruption in the judiciary" in NCERT's new Social Sciences textbook has triggered a massive controversy. An infuriated Supreme Court has not only barred the sharing of the content but also ordered a complete ban on the publication and distribution of the textbook for Class 8 that was introduced under the new National Education Policy (NEP).
But what led to the fury? The top court has taken umbrage at the fact that NCERT was introducing the judiciary to young minds (13-14-year-old children) as being internally plagued by corruption and facing the challenges of a massive case backlog. The NCERT acted fast, withdrawing the newly released textbook and stopping its sale.
However, the Supreme Court was faster, initiating a suo motu case in the matter, calling the move a "deep-rooted conspiracy". It did not end there. A show-cause notice was also issued to the Secretary of School Education, the Ministry of Education and the NCERT director.
Here's the whole controversy explained in 10 points.
At the heart of the controversy is a chapter titled - 'The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society' - in the Class 8 NCERT Social Sciences textbook, released on February 24. It includes references to corruption, a heavy backlog of cases, and an inadequate number of judges.
The matter was brought to the Supreme Court's notice by senior lawyer Kapil Sibal. An infuriated Chief Justice Surya Kant immediately initiated a suo motu case, asserting that the court won't allow anyone to "defame the institution".
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