Misconceptions For Judiciary Will Travel From Teacher To Pupil And To Entire Society: Supreme Court Criticizes NCERT For 'Egregious Silence' On Judicial Reforms

While imposing a "complete blanket ban" on the publication of the controversial NCERT Class VIII Book, the Supreme Court has remarked that exposing young students to biased narratives about the judiciary is improper because such misconceptions will inevitably spread through teachers and parents to impact the entire next generation.

The Court found the textbook's narrative particularly egregious for failing to mention judicial initiatives to improve legal aid and access to justice, while simultaneously ignoring the Court's own history of censuring high-ranking officials for corruption and the misuse of public funds.

The Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi observed, "The necessity for judicial intervention has arisen not from a desire to suppress criticism, but from the imperative to safeguard the pedagogical integrity of the national curriculum. Young students in their formative years are only beginning to navigate the nuances of public life and the constitutional architecture that sustains it. It is fundamentally improper to expose them at this tender age to a biased narrative that may engender permanent misconceptions regarding the manifold and onerous responsibilities discharged by the judiciary on a day-to-day basis. While taking this initiative, we must keep in mind that the subject book will not remain confined to students only; its contents are bound to travel from teacher to pupil, and to parents—namely, to the entire society and the next generation."

The book allegedly highlighted "corruption in the judiciary" and "massive backlogs" as primary challenges facing the Indian legal system.

"It seems to us that the narrative contained in the book chooses not to delve into any of the transformative initiatives and measures pioneered by this Court toward overhauling the legal aid mechanism and streamlining the ease of access to justice. This silence is particularly egregious given the volume of high-ranking officials who have been censured by this very Court in the past for corrupt practices, fraudulent activities, and the illicit cycling of public funds", the Bench said.

The Court took suo motu cognizance of the matter on February 25, 2026, after Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal and Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned the issue before the Bench and expressed that the legal community is "deeply disturbed" by the fact that young students are being taught that the judiciary is a corrupt body.

"The framers of our Constitution were profoundly conscious and took abundant caution to ensure that constitutional functions and responsibilities were inscribed with such precision that the three pillars—namely the Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary—remain capable of operating with autonomy while functioning in concert to preserve the democratic fabric of our nation’s path. While acknowledging these constitutionally described demarcations, we were nearly shocked when a leading newspaper published an article regarding the release of the Social Science textbook for Grade 8 (Part 2), titled "Exploring Society: India and Beyond" (First Edition), published in February 2026 by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Chapter 4 of the publication is titled "The Role of Judiciary in Our Society". It incorporates a subtopic explicitly expounding on "Corruption in the Judiciary", the Court remarked.

After the Supreme Court had expressed displeasure with the contents of the Chapter, the NCERT issued a press release on February 25, 2026, to put a hold on the distribution of the book.

The Bench held, "The inclusion of this subject matter within a foundational curriculum, in our considered opinion, warrants a rigorous review of its pedagogical suitability and its potential impact on the institutional standing of the judiciary as a whole. We are reluctant to reproduce the contents of the chapter, but it prominently refers to hundreds of complaints received against the judiciary, clearly indicating as if no action was taken. It picks a few words from the statement of a former Chief Justice of India, suggesting that the judiciary itself has acknowledged a lack of transparency, accountability, or institutional corruption.

It was also observed, "Upon a prima facie examination of the book’s contents, read in conjunction with the administrative response received from the Director, it seems to us that there is a calculated move to undermine institutional authority and demean the dignity of the judiciary. This move, if allowed to go unchecked, will erode the sanctity of the judicial office in the estimation of the public at large and, more importantly, within the impressionable minds of the youth. While the publication ostensibly dedicates an entire chapter to the role of the judiciary in our society, it washes off with one stroke of a pen the illustrious history associated with the Supreme Court, the High Courts, and the District Courts. These are conspicuously omitted without any mention of the substantive contributions made by these institutions toward the preservation of the democratic fabric. The text, unfortunately, fails to acknowledge the imperative role the judiciary undertakes in upholding constitutional morality and the Basic Structure Doctrine, which are the lifeblood of the Indian citizenry's public existence.

Cause Title: In Re Social Science Textbook For Grade 8 Part 2 Published By NCERT and Ancillary Issues [SMW(C) No. 1/2026]