NCERT Withdraws Class 8 Textbook, Issues Unconditional Apology to Supreme Court Over Judiciary Chapter
NCERT issued an "unconditional and unqualified apology" to the Supreme Court for a chapter on the judiciary in its Class 8 Social Science textbook titled "Exploring Society: India and Beyond" (Grade 8, Part II)
The chapter titled "The Role of Judiciary in Our Society" contained material discussing alleged corruption and misconduct within the Indian judiciary, which the Supreme Court found to be "offending" content
The Supreme Court had on February 26, 2026, imposed a "complete blanket ban" on further publication, reprinting, or digital circulation of the book
NCERT confirmed the entire book has been withdrawn and is no longer available; all digital copies and social media disseminations of the chapter were ordered removed
The court had issued show-cause notices for contempt — the apology was tendered as part of NCERT's response to those notices
Contempt of Court: Constitutional and Statutory Framework
Contempt of court in India derives from Articles 129 and 215 of the Constitution, which designate the Supreme Court and High Courts respectively as "Courts of Record" — courts whose acts and proceedings are of evidentiary value and which have the inherent power to punish for contempt of themselves. The Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 gives statutory shape to this power. Criminal contempt includes actions that "scandalise or tend to scandalise, or lower or tend to lower the authority of any court" — the category most relevant to the NCERT textbook controversy.
The chapter was found to cross the line from legitimate criticism (permissible under Section 5) to content that scandalises the court — triggering criminal contempt jurisdiction under Article 129 and the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
NCERT: Establishment, Mandate, and the National Curriculum Framework
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is an autonomous organisation established on 1 September 1961 (formally set up under a Cabinet resolution on 27 July 1961) by the Ministry of Education (now Ministry of Education). NCERT's mandate is to advise the Central and State Governments on school education policy and to prepare model textbooks. NCERT textbooks are prescribed by CBSE for Classes I–XII. The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) — most recently updated as NCF 2023 under NEP 2020 — guides NCERT's syllabus and textbook content. The Class 8 textbook "Exploring Society: India and Beyond" was part of the new NCF 2023-aligned series.
The controversy surrounds a new NCF 2023-aligned textbook — part of the post-NEP 2020 curriculum revision. The episode raises governance questions about NCERT's internal review and approval processes before publication.
Judicial Independence: Constitutional Safeguards
Judicial independence is a foundational principle of the Indian Constitution, secured through multiple provisions. Article 121 and Article 211 prohibit Parliament and State Legislatures respectively from discussing the conduct of Supreme Court and High Court judges except on an Address to the President/Governor for removal. Judges' salaries are charged to the Consolidated Fund of India (Articles 112, 202) — not subject to parliamentary vote, insulating judiciary from executive pressure. The procedure for removal of Supreme Court judges (Article 124(4)) requires a special majority in both Houses and a parliamentary address — a very high threshold deliberately designed to protect judicial independence.
The textbook's portrayal of judicial corruption — however factually grounded individual claims may be — was seen by the Supreme Court as threatening the institutional perception of judicial independence, triggering its contempt jurisdiction as a constitutional guardian of its own authority under Article 129.
- Textbook: "Exploring Society: India and Beyond" — Grade 8, Part II (NCERT)
- Controversial chapter: "The Role of Judiciary in Our Society"
- Supreme Court ban: February 26, 2026 — "complete blanket ban" on publication, reprinting, digital circulation
- NCERT apology: Unconditional and unqualified; tendered March 10, 2026
- Status: Entire book withdrawn from circulation; digital copies ordered removed
- Constitutional basis for contempt: Article 129 (SC as Court of Record)
- Statutory basis: Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 — Section 2(b) criminal contempt
- Punishment ceiling: 6 months imprisonment or ₹2,000 fine (Section 12, Contempt of Courts Act)
- NCERT established: 1 September 1961
- NCERT's legal form: Society under Societies Registration Act, 1860
- Judicial removal threshold: Special majority in both Houses + Presidential address (Article 124(4))