New Delhi, February 26 The Supreme Court said on Thursday that the need for judicial intervention in the NCERT textbook matter has arisen not from a desire to suppress criticism, but from the imperative to safeguard the integrity of the national curriculum.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi imposed a blanket ban on any further publication, reprint, or digital dissemination of NCERT's Class 8 social science book, which contains "offensive" content on corruption in the judiciary.
"However, we would like to emphasize that we do not propose to initiate any suo moto proceedings to stifle any legitimate criticism or to hold any individual or organization accountable for scrutinizing public institutions, including the judiciary," the bench said.
It further stated, "We remain firmly convinced that dissent, deliberation, and rigorous discourse are essential for a living democracy and serve as crucial instruments of institutional accountability."
The top court passed the order in a suo motu case titled 'In Re: Social Science Textbook for Grade-8 (Part-2) Published by NCERT and Ancillary Issues'.
"Nevertheless, the need for judicial intervention has arisen not from a desire to suppress criticism, but from the imperative to safeguard the integrity of the national curriculum," the bench said.
Observing that there appeared to be a "deep-rooted conspiracy" and "calculated move" to undermine the institution and demean the dignity of the judiciary, the apex court directed that all copies of the book – physical and digital – currently in circulation be immediately seized and removed from public access.
The bench issued show cause notices to the NCERT director and the secretary of the department of school education and literacy, asking them to explain why suitable action, including contempt of court, should not be initiated against them or those found responsible for introducing the "offensive" chapter in the book.