'We are perturbed': SC on NCERT's 'corruption in judiciary' chapter
What's the story
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant has raised serious objections to a chapter in the new National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) Class 8 textbook. The chapter discusses issues such as corruption and backlog in the judicial system. Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal and Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi brought this matter before CJI Kant, expressing their concern over teaching these topics to eighth-grade students.
Kabil
It is entirely scandalous, Sibal said
"We are deeply disturbed as the members of this institution to find that children of Class 8 students are being taught about corruption in judiciary. It is part of the NCERT. We have great stake in the institution, it is entirely scandalous," Sibal said. CJI Kant acknowledged the concerns raised by Sibal and Singhvi, saying he had received several calls and messages about the issue. He said many judges were "perturbed" by the contents.
Judicial integrity
The law will take its course, says CJI
When Sibal said he hoped the court would take suo motu notice of the matter, CJI said, "Wait for a day. This is definitely concerning the entire institution. The bar and the bench are perturbed. Every stakeholder in the system is really perturbed." "I will not anyone on earth to taint the integrity of the institution and defame the institution. Whoseoever high it may be, the law will take its course. I know how to deal with it," CJI said.
Book
'Seems to be a very calculated and deep-rooted measure'
While mentioning the matter, Singhvi also stated that the selectivity of the issue, rather than the topic itself, was disturbing, as if no corruption existed elsewhere. He said there was no mention of corruption in bureaucracy, politics, public life, or other institutions. Replying, CJI Kant said, "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."
Textbook details
Textbook highlights challenges of the judiciary
According to IE, the NCER's new Social Science textbook for Class 8 contains a section on "corruption in the judiciary" as part of a chapter on "The role of the judiciary in our society." The chapter identifies "corruption at various levels of the judiciary" and "massive backlog...on account of multiple reasons, such as a lack of an adequate number of judges, complicated legal procedures, and poor infrastructure" as "challenges" facing the judicial system.
Legal cases
Old textbook only described role of the judiciary
The NCERT is overhauling its curriculum in line with NEP 2020 (National Education Policy) and NCF (National Curriculum Framework). New textbooks for Classes 1-8 have been released as part of this initiative, with the first part of Class 8 Social Science released last July. The old textbook simply discussed the role of the judiciary, what an independent judiciary is, the structure of the courts, and access to them, and made no mention of corruption.