The Supreme Court on Wednesday (March 11, 2026) said in the case of NCERT chapter on Judiciary that under the guise of this controversy, those making comments about the judiciary on social media will not be spared. On February 26, the Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognizance of a chapter on judiciary in NCERT’s Class 8 Social Science book. The title of the chapter was ‘Judicial Corruption’, regarding which the court has expressed extreme displeasure. Chief Justice Surya Kant has said that those who prepared these chapters should not be given work in NCERT or any education board.
He said, ‘We have no doubt that either the experts who prepared the chapter do not have knowledge about the judiciary or they deliberately tried to defame the judiciary. These three experts are not qualified to be hired for such work. NCERT or any education board should not give them work. However, it was told by NCERT that this book has been withdrawn, that chapter on Judiciary has also been rewritten.
On behalf of the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi that NCERT has apologized unconditionally. Officers are also personally present in the court. He also informed that a committee has been formed and all the books will be reviewed.
CJI Surya Kant told SG Mehta that it would have been better if the central government itself had done the task of forming the committee instead of leaving it to NCERT. The CJI also said that but we will remember those anti-social elements who have tried to defame the judiciary under the guise of the current situation and we are not in favor of abandoning them. CJA has made this comment for those who write indecent things about the judiciary on social media.
SG Tushar Mehta assured the court that we will definitely form a committee which will review the new chapter written. There is no cross-examination on this. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal said on this that there should also be experts on the subject in the committee because it is a serious subject. SG said that yes, it will definitely happen.
While delivering the verdict, the CJI said that we had taken suo motu cognizance of the media report and had given some instructions. CJI said that NCERT Director Professor Dinesh Saklani has filed an affidavit apologizing unconditionally. The director has told under the supervision of which experts this chapter was prepared.
The CJI said that it was published even before the decision of the textbook committee on the chapter. The Central Government has taken cognizance of this mistake. CJI said that we have been told that now that chapter has been rewritten, but it was not told who has rewritten it. What things have been said in it? The CJI said that the School Education Secretary of the Central Government has also apologized unconditionally and said that such a mistake will not be made in future.
