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NCERT releases revised Class 8 textbook months after row over ‘corruption in judiciary’ chapter
The second volume of the textbook had triggered controversy over a section titled “Corruption in the judiciary”, prompting the SC to take suo motu cognisance.
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A little over four months after the Supreme Court ordered the withdrawal of NCERT’s controversial Class 8 Social Science textbook for its contentious remarks on the judiciary, the organisation released a revised edition that substantially rewrites the chapter on the judiciary, removing discussions on “corruption in the judiciary”, judicial backlog and some landmark Supreme Court rulings.
The new chapter also dwells on the Supreme Court’s constitutional role, Public Interest Litigation (PIL), tribunals and alternative dispute resolution.
The opening “Big Questions” section, with questions at the start of the chapter to help students think critically, has also seen a change. Instead of asking students why an independent judiciary is necessary, as the withdrawn textbook did, the revised chapter asks why justice is important for a “just and harmonious society”.
NCERT released the Class 8 Social Science Part 1 textbook in July 2025 and Part 2 on February 23, 2026, weeks before the end of the 2025-26 academic session. The second volume triggered controversy over a section titled “Corruption in the judiciary”, prompting the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance on February 25. The same day, NCERT apologised for the “inappropriate content” and promised that the chapter would be rewritten. A day later, the court prohibited dissemination of the textbook in both physical and digital formats.
NCERT did not respond to queries on the revised edition.
Several sections from the withdrawn textbook have been dropped in the revised edition.
The chapter no longer includes a section on “Challenges Faced by the Judicial System”; in the previous edition, this went on to discuss the “massive backlog” of cases due to reasons including the “lack of an adequate number of judges, complicated legal procedures, and poor infrastructure.” The controversial section on “Corruption in the judiciary”, which quoted former Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, as saying that there had been instances of “corruption and misconduct” within the judiciary, has also been removed.
Another section “Why is an independent judiciary needed for justice?” has also disappeared. The withdrawn textbook had described an independent judiciary as “the best defence of an individual’s fundamental rights” and explained that the Constitution protects judges from interference by the legislature and executive.
Also omitted are classroom discussions based on two recent Supreme Court judgments -- Shreya Singhal vs Union of India, which struck down Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, and Association for Democratic Reforms v. Union of India, which invalidated the electoral bonds scheme.
Controversy-hit NCERT Class 8 textbook returns with redesigned cover putting Supreme Court on top
However, the revised textbook introduces a detailed discussion on Public Interest Litigation (PIL) under Articles 32 and 226, describing PIL as “an innovation introduced by the Supreme Court” to address issues of public concern. It cites the release of undertrial prisoners through the Hussainara Khatoon litigation, the environmental cases of MC Mehta, and the Vishaka judgment on workplace sexual harassment.
Also Read: No one from legal fraternity reviewed NCERT chapter on ‘corruption in judiciary’, say officials
The revised textbook states in its acknowledgements that it has been published pursuant to the review process undertaken “in compliance with the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India” in Suo Motu Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1/2026. It adds that Chapter 4, “The Role of the Judiciary in Society”, was “rewritten” by an expert committee constituted by the Union ministry of education pursuant to the directions of the apex court through an order dated March 16.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the matter again on July 14.
The withdrawn textbook listed 51 members as part of its textbook development team. The revised edition lists 48, with the names of Michel Danino, Suparna Diwakar and Alok Prasanna Kumar, the three people who were initially held responsible for the chapter, dropped.
On March 11, the Supreme Court directed the Centre, states, Union territories and educational institutions to disassociate from the three experts. On May 22, it modified that order after accepting their explanation that textbook preparation was a collective exercise and there was no intention to portray the judiciary negatively.
All three declined to comment on the revised textbook, saying they had not yet seen the new edition.
Following the controversy, the education ministry constituted an oversight committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Indu Malhotra, with former attorney general KK Venugopal and Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University vice-chancellor Prakash Singh as members. The Centre also involved the head of the National Judicial Academy in the revision of school curricula dealing with the judiciary. Separately, NCERT reconstituted its National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee to oversee syllabus and textbook development for Classes 3 to 12 and revised its terms of reference to give the council formal authority to approve, publish and distribute textbooks.
Justice Malhotra and Singh declined comment.
NCERT has been revising school textbooks in line with the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE), 2023. New textbooks for Classes 1 to 9 have been released so far.
The most visible change in the revised edition is its cover.
NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Saklani in the foreword of the book said, “....The text integrates the values we desire our students to develop, is rooted in the Indian cultural context and introduces global perspectives in an age-appropriate manner.”
