Supreme Court Slams Judiciary References In NCERT Text Book; Dharmendra Pradhan Apologises

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has taken a strong stance on objectionable content related to corruption in the judiciary in the NCERT's Class 8 social science textbook. On Thursday, a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant termed it a deliberate conspiracy to defame the judiciary and ordered the withdrawal of the book from the market. The next hearing will be held on March 11.

What Dharmendra Pradhan say?

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has issued his first response to the matter. He said, "We fully respect the judiciary. We will fully comply with whatever the judiciary has said. I am deeply saddened by what has happened and I express my regret. As soon as this matter came to my attention, I immediately directed NCERT to withdraw the relevant books so that they are not further circulated. Necessary steps have been taken to ensure their recall."

What arguments were presented in court?

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing NCERT in the Supreme Court, said, "We apologize in this suo motu case." To this, the CJI said, "Our friends in the media sent this notice, and there's not a single word of apology in it. It's our institutional responsibility to find out whether this was published in the book. In the communication sent to the Registrar General, the concerned department was defending it. This was a deep-rooted conspiracy."

The Solicitor General informed the court that action had been taken against the two individuals who prepared the chapter. They will never be able to work with the UGC or any ministry. The CJI then said, "That would be too easy, and they would get away with it. They fired a shot, and the judiciary is bleeding."

Tushar Mehta informed the court that 32 copies that had gone to market had been withdrawn, and the entire book would be reviewed. To this, the CJI remarked that taking action against just two individuals is not enough. That would be too easy, and they would get away with it. This is a ploy to defame the entire judiciary." He also questioned whether copies of the book were still available in the market or online. He urged that it should be withdrawn immediately.

Senior lawyers Kapil Sibal and Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi raised this issue before a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant. Sibal stated that teaching Class 8 students about corruption in the judiciary was concerning. He stated that as a member of the institution, he was disturbed by this.

What did Chief Justice Surya Kant say?

Chief Justice Surya Kant stated that the founding fathers of the Constitution ensured balance and autonomy between the legislature, executive, and judiciary. Therefore, material that tarnishes the reputation of any constitutional institution is extremely serious. He stated that if such material becomes ingrained in the minds of youth and parents, it could erode trust in judicial institutions.
The court clarified that a thorough investigation would be conducted to determine who was responsible for publishing the material. The Solicitor General assured that the controversial chapter would be removed and a revised edition would be republished. The court reiterated that any compromise to the credibility of the judiciary would not be tolerated.