Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Wednesday expressed serious concern over content in a newly released NCERT Class 8 social science textbook referring to “corruption in judiciary”. The CJI said the Supreme Court has already passed an order to initiate suo motu proceedings on the issue.
The development came a day after The Indian Express reported that the revised Class 8 book lists “corruption in judiciary” and “massive backlogs” as major challenges.
Mentioning Before The CJI
The issue was mentioned before the CJI by Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal. Senior Advocate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi also appeared with him.
Sibal told the Court that members of the institution felt “deeply disturbed” that Class 8 students were being taught about “corruption in judiciary” through NCERT material. He described the inclusion as “entirely scandalous” and added that copies of the book were available with them.
CJI: “I Am Fully Aware”
Responding to the mentioning, CJI Surya Kant said he was already aware of the controversy. He noted that he had received several calls and messages about the issue. According to him, many judges were also “perturbed” by the content.
“I can assure all of you. I am fully aware of it,” the CJI said.
When Sibal expressed hope that the Court would take suo motu notice, the CJI replied, “Wait for a day.” He added that the matter concerns the institution as a whole and that both the Bar and the Bench felt disturbed. The CJI also said he had received communications from High Court judges raising similar concerns.
“I Have Already Passed An Order”
The CJI then stated that, since counsel had formally mentioned the issue, he was informing them that he had already passed an order to take up the matter suo motu.
Emphasising that he would not allow the institution to be defamed or denigrated, he said the Court would take appropriate action.
“I have already passed an order and am taking the matter suo motu. I will not allow anyone on earth to taint the integrity of the institution and defame the institution. At any cost, I will not permit it. Whosoever high it may be, the law will take its course. I know how to deal with it,” the CJI said.
Singhvi Flags “Selectivity” In The Text
Dr Singhvi submitted that the concern was not limited to the wording. He argued that the “selectivity” of the focus itself raised questions, and suggested that the book did not discuss corruption in other spheres such as bureaucracy, politics, public life, and other institutions.
In response, the CJI indicated that he understood the concern. “It seems to be a very calculated and deep-rooted measure to… we don’t want to say anything more… I am aware and I have done my duty,” he said. The CJI also thanked Sibal and Singhvi for bringing the issue to the Court’s attention.
Justice Joymalya Bagchi’s Remark
During the exchange, Justice Joymalya Bagchi remarked that “Constitutional integrity to the basic structure is missing in the structure of the book.”
