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NCERT Withdraws Class 8 Book, Apologizes for Judiciary Chapter After SC Ban

The NCERT has issued a public apology and completely withdrawn a Class 8 Social Science textbook containing a controversial chapter on the judiciary. The Supreme Court had ordered a "complete blanket ban" on the book, citing "offending" references about judicial corruption. The Union Ministry of Education directed other ministries to halt the book's digital distribution following the court's order. The controversy stemmed from a chapter that discussed issues like case backlogs and alleged corruption within the judicial system.

Key Points: NCERT Withdraws Class 8 Textbook, Apologizes Over Judiciary Chapter

  • NCERT issues unconditional apology
  • Entire Class 8 textbook withdrawn
  • Supreme Court ordered complete blanket ban
  • Chapter discussed judicial challenges and alleged corruption
2 min read

NCERT issues public apology, withdraws Class 8 textbook after row over judiciary chapter

NCERT issues public apology and withdraws a Class 8 Social Science textbook after Supreme Court ban over chapter on judiciary and alleged corruption.

"a gunshot has been fired and the institution is bleeding. - Supreme Court"

New Delhi, March 10

The National Council of Educational Research and Training on Tuesday issued a public apology over a chapter in its Class 8 Social Science textbook titled 'Exploring Society: India and Beyond', which contained a section on the judiciary. The council also announced that the entire book has been withdrawn and is no longer available.

In a statement, NCERT said it had recently published the Social Science textbook 'Exploring Society: India and Beyond' for Grade 8 (Part II), which included the Chapter IV titled 'The Role of Judiciary in Our Society.'

"The Director and Members of NCERT hereby tender an unconditional and unqualified apology for the said Chapter IV. The entire book has been withdrawn and is not available," the council said in the statement.

Earlier, on February 27, NCERT had issued an advisory asking people to return copies of the banned Class 8 Social Science textbook to its headquarters. The advisory came after concerns were raised over a chapter in the book that dealt with alleged "judicial corruption".

In the strongly-worded advisory, NCERT directed that anyone in possession of the textbook titled 'Exploring Society: India and Beyond' should immediately return it to the council's headquarters. It also instructed that any material from the chapter titled 'The Role of Judiciary in Our Society' that had been shared on social media or other digital platforms must be removed without delay.

The action followed a communication from the Union Ministry of Education to the ministries of electronics and information technology, and information and broadcasting. The ministry requested them to stop the distribution of the controversial textbook on digital platforms and electronic media after it was banned by the Supreme Court.

On February 26, the Supreme Court ordered a "complete blanket ban" on any further publication, reprinting, or digital circulation of the NCERT Class 8 book. The court observed that the textbook contained "offending" references regarding corruption in the judiciary.

Expressing serious concern, the court remarked that "a gunshot has been fired and the institution is bleeding."

The controversy began over a chapter in the Social Science textbook that discussed challenges faced by the judicial system. According to the book, issues such as a large backlog of cases, a shortage of judges, and alleged corruption were among the problems confronting the judiciary.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
As a parent, I'm glad NCERT acted swiftly. We teach our children to respect institutions. Discussing corruption with 13-year-olds without proper context can be damaging. The apology was necessary. Hope the new textbook is more balanced.
A
Arjun K
The Supreme Court's metaphor of "the institution is bleeding" is powerful. We cannot allow textbooks to undermine faith in our pillars of democracy. Timely action by the Ministry of Education. Jai Hind!
S
Sarah B
Interesting to follow this from abroad. In many countries, discussing institutional flaws is part of civics education. The complete withdrawal and ban seems very heavy-handed. How will children learn to improve systems if they don't know the problems?
V
Vikram M
The real issue is the backlog of cases and judge shortage mentioned in the chapter! That's the actual problem needing a solution, not the textbook. Instead of banning the book, maybe focus on fixing those issues? Just saying.
K
Kavya N
NCERT needs better quality control. First the syllabus changes, now this. Our children's education cannot be a trial-and-error experiment. They should have reviewed the content more carefully before publishing. Hope they learn from this.

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