NCERT asked to drop section on 'judiciary corruption' from Class 8 Social Science book: Sources

The NCERT will remove the portion on 'judiciary corruption' from Class 8 Social Science book, sources said. The government is considering action against the officials responsible for this.  The Supreme Court has earlier taken suo motu cognizance of the addition of a chapter on "Judicial Corruption" to the NCERT's Class 8 Social Science book. The CJI expressed "serious concern" and said he had taken cognizance of the matter and could take suo motu action. "I will not allow anyone to defame the institution. The law will take its course," said the CJI. 

Senior lawyers Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi raised this issue in front of the SC bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi. They said it was a matter of great concern that young children were being taught about corruption in the judiciary during their studies.

CJI Surya Kant responded by stating that he was fully aware of the matter and that many judges were also disturbed by the book's content. "Please wait for a few days. Bar and Bench are all perturbed. All high court judges are perturbed. I will take up the matter suo motu. I will not allow



anybody to defame the institution. Law will take its course," the CJI said. Justice Bagchi said that the book appears to be against the basic structure of the Constitution. 

NCERT's Social Science book's chapter on "Judicial Corruption" stated corruption, a massive backlog of cases, and lack of an adequate number of judges are among the challenges faced by the judicial system. The new book states that judges are bound by a code of conduct that governs not only their behavior in court but also their behavior outside court. 

"People do experience corruption at various levels of the judiciary. For the poor and the disadvantaged, this can worsen the issue of access to justice. Hence, efforts are constantly being made at the State and Union levels to build faith and increase transparency in the judicial system, including through the use of technology, and to take swift and decisive action against instances of corruption wherever they may arise," the chapter reads.

The book pegs the approximate number of pending cases in the Supreme Court at 81,000, in high courts at 62.40 lakh, and district and subordinate courts at 4.70 crore.