New Delhi, February 25 The NCERT on Wednesday apologized for "inappropriate content" after facing criticism from the Supreme Court over a chapter in an 8th-grade textbook that discussed judicial corruption, and said the textbook would be rewritten in consultation with relevant authorities.
The council, responsible for the school education curriculum, also temporarily halted the distribution of the textbook, hours after removing it from its website.
"It has been observed that certain inappropriate textual material and a lapse in judgment have inadvertently crept into the concerned chapter," a senior official said.
The National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT) said it "holds the judiciary in the highest regard and considers it to be the guardian of the Indian Constitution and protector of fundamental rights," and termed the error as purely unintentional.
"The NCERT reiterates that the objective of the new textbooks is to strengthen constitutional literacy, respect for institutions, and informed understanding of democratic participation among students. There is no intention to question or diminish the authority of any constitutional body," he added.
"As part of its continuous review process, the NCERT remains open to constructive feedback. Therefore, the textbook will be rewritten, with consultation with the relevant authority, as necessary, and will be made available to 8th-grade students upon the commencement of the 2026-27 academic session," it added.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi has taken suo motu cognizance of the "objectionable" statements about the judiciary in NCERT textbooks, after senior advocate Kapil Sibal, along with Abhishek Singhvi, raised the matter for urgent consideration.
CJI Kant strongly objected to a chapter on judicial corruption in the NCERT's 8th-grade curriculum, saying that no one on Earth will be allowed to defame the judiciary and tarnish its integrity.
The NCERT's new social science textbooks for 8th grade say that corruption, a massive backlog of cases, and the lack of an adequate number of judges are among the challenges faced by the judicial system.