Centre forms 3-member expert committee to rewrite NCERT's 'judiciary' chapter
What's the story
The Union government has formed an expert committee to review a controversial National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) Class 8 social science chapter on the judiciary. The committee, which was constituted as per the Supreme Court's directions, includes two former judges of the apex court and a former attorney general, along with a vice chancellor. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant about the formation of this panel.
Panel composition
Expert panel includes former judges, attorney general
The expert committee includes former Attorney General KK Venugopal, former Supreme Court judges Justice Indu Malhotra and Justice Aniruddha Bose, who is also the director of the National Judicial Academy, along with a vice chancellor. The panel was formed to review a chapter on "corruption in the judiciary," which had earlier sparked suo motu proceedings in the Supreme Court. The court had taken note of this matter after it was brought to its attention last month.
PIL dismissal
SC dismisses PIL on statement in earlier textbook
The SC bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) against an earlier Class 8 textbook statement. The statement in question said, "recent judgments tend to view the slum dweller as an encroacher in the city." The court observed that the statement reflected a "viewpoint" on judicial decisions and didn't warrant judicial intervention. Chief Justice Surya Kant remarked, "Everyone has a right to have a viewpoint about a judgment of the court."
Chapter withdrawal
Court orders immediate withdrawal of chapter
In February, the SC had taken suo motu cognizance of a Class 8 social science textbook titled "Exploring Society: India and Beyond." The book contained references to alleged corruption and pendency in the judiciary. The court ordered its immediate withdrawal, including seizure of physical copies and takedown of digital versions. Both NCERT and the Union government had tendered unconditional apologies, with NCERT withdrawing the chapter.
Textbook criticism
Court directs certain individuals be barred from curriculum development
The SC had earlier criticized the process of preparing and circulating the controversial chapter. The court directed that Padma Shri professor Michel Danino, educator Suparna Diwakar, and legal researcher Alok Prasanna Kumar should not be associated with public institution curriculum development. It noted serious procedural lapses in how the chapter was circulated selectively among a few members without approval from NCERT's National Syllabus and Teaching-Learning Material Committee (NSTC).
Expert review
Centre directed to reconstitute NSTC
The court had directed the Centre to reconstitute NSTC, considering including domain experts if the judiciary is to be taught. It mandated that any reintroduction of the judiciary chapter must be evaluated by a committee of domain experts constituted by the Union government within a stipulated timeframe. The court clarified its intervention was not aimed at stifling legitimate critique but ensuring accuracy and balance in educational content.