NCERT's Class 8 social science textbook lists 'corruption in judiciary'
What's the story
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has released a new Social Science textbook for Class 8. The updated curriculum includes a chapter titled "The role of the judiciary in our society," which addresses issues like corruption and backlog in the judicial system, according to a report by The Indian Express. The previous version of the textbook did not mention these issues, focusing instead on explaining what an independent judiciary is and its structure.
Backlog details
Backlog of cases in the judiciary
The new textbook highlights major challenges faced by the judiciary, including corruption and a massive backlog of cases. It details that there are around 81,000 pending cases in the Supreme Court, 62.4 lakh in High Courts, and 4.7 crore in District and Subordinate Courts. The NCERT Director, D P Saklani, did not comment on these developments or the delay of the textbook's release.
Corruption focus
Addressing corruption in the judiciary
The new textbook also talks about "corruption in the judiciary," mentioning a code of conduct for judges. It mentions an internal mechanism for accountability and a system for receiving complaints through the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS). The book also quotes former Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, saying that corruption in the judiciary can erode public confidence, but rebuilding trust requires transparent action against such issues.
Legal discussions
Legal cases on electoral bonds, IT Act
The new textbook also discusses two legal cases related to electoral bonds and the Information Technology Act. It explains how the Supreme Court addressed transparency concerns in political funding, emphasizing the voters' right to know the sources of political funding in the electoral bonds scheme. The book also details how a clause in the Information Technology Act was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court for violating freedom of speech.
Curriculum update
Overhauling curriculum as per NEP 2020
The NCERT is overhauling its curriculum in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for School Education. So far, new textbooks for Classes 1 to 8 have been released as part of this initiative. The first part of the Class 8 Social Science textbook was released last July. The old textbooks were rationalized after the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce content load.