The Supreme Court took suo-motu cognizance of references to corruption in the judiciary in an 8th-grade NCERT textbook and described the issue as a matter of grave concern.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi noted the matter. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal informed the court that children in 8th grade are being taught about corruption in the judiciary, which he found deeply concerning.
Justice Bagchi observed that the content appeared to contradict the basic structure of the Constitution.
The Chief Justice stated that both the Bar and the Bench are concerned. He added that High Court judges are also disturbed by the issue. The bench made it clear that it will not allow anyone to defame the institution.
According to the new Social Science NCERT textbook for 8th grade, corruption, a large backlog of cases, and a shortage of judges are among the challenges faced by the judicial system.