Taking strong exception to references to "corruption in the judiciary" in a revised Class 8 NCERT Social Science textbook, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Tuesday said the Supreme Court would not tolerate any attempt to undermine the credibility of the judicial institution and that appropriate action would be taken.
The Chief Justice raised the issue suo motu during court proceedings, noting that he had received several calls and messages, including from sitting High Court judges, expressing concern over the textbook content.
"I will not allow anyone to defame and question the integrity of the judiciary," the CJI said, describing the inclusion as a "calculated and deep-rooted attack" on the institution.
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Senior advocates raise alarm in court
The issue was flagged before the bench by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who said that members of the Bar were “very disturbed” by the framing of judicial corruption in school textbooks.
"We as senior members of this institution are very disturbed at ‘judicial corruption’ being part of the Class 8 books," Sibal told the court.
Responding to the submission, the CJI said he was already aware of the matter. “I’m getting a lot of calls and messages about this, also from judges of the High Courts,” he said, adding that the court would not permit any attack on the judicial institution, regardless of where it originated.
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi also questioned the selective focus of the textbook. “It’s as if corruption exists only in the judiciary. There is no word about politicians, ministers or bureaucrats,” he said.
Justice Joymalya Bagchi, who was part of the bench, remarked that constitutional integrity which is a core feature of the basic structure, appeared to be missing from the framing of the chapter.
What the NCERT chapter says
The controversy centres on a revised NCERT Class 8 Social Science textbook titled The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society, which is scheduled to be released shortly.
The chapter discusses the judicial backlog in India, stating that the Supreme Court has around 81,000 pending cases. It attributes delays to factors such as a shortage of judges, complex legal procedures and inadequate infrastructure. It also refers to corruption as a factor affecting judicial credibility which was a reference that has triggered objections from the legal fraternity.
The text further states that High Courts are burdened with more than six million pending cases, while subordinate courts have over 40 million cases awaiting disposal.
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Wider tensions between judiciary and executive
The NCERT row has emerged amid ongoing friction between the judiciary and the executive over issues such as judicial appointments.
In 2015, the Supreme Court struck down the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, restoring the collegium system. Since then, senior government functionaries, including former Law Minister Kiren Rijiju and former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, have publicly questioned the judiciary’s exclusive role in appointments.
Rijiju had earlier argued that the collegium system places an excessive burden on judges, who must manage appointments alongside mounting case backlogs.
