Centre forms expert panel to rewrite NCERT Class 8 judiciary chapter after row

The Central government has informed the Supreme Court that it has constituted a three-member expert committee to rewrite the judiciary chapter in the NCERT Class 8 textbook, following a controversy over its content.

The committee includes former Attorney General KK Venugopal, former Supreme Court judge Indu Malhotra, and Justice Aniruddha Bose. The panel has been tasked with revising the chapter to ensure accuracy and balanced representation for school



students.

The move comes after a section in the textbook referred to “corruption in the judiciary,” which drew criticism and raised concerns about how the institution was being portrayed to young learners.

The issue gained traction after it was flagged publicly, prompting the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance. The court sought responses from the Centre and NCERT, questioning the inclusion of such content in a school textbook.