'Calculated attack': Supreme Court slams ‘corruption in judiciary’ mention in NCERT textbook
PTC News Desk: In a sharp response to a reference to judicial corruption in a Class 8 NCERT textbook, the Chief Justice of India termed the move as 'calculated and deep-rooted attack' on the judiciary asserting that the Supreme Court won't let anyone tarnish or question the institution's integrity.
The CJI's rebuke follows inclusion of the judicial corruption in school textbooks. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal brought the matter in court citing that senior members of the Bar were very disturbed over such inclusions in the NCERT textbooks.
“We as senior members of this institution are very disturbed at ‘judicial corruption’ being part of the Class 8 books,” Sibal said.
At this point, the CJI, responding that he was already aware of the issue, said, “I’m getting a lot of calls and messages about this, also from judges of the HCs.”
“I will not allow anyone to defame and question the integrity of the judiciary,” CJI Surya Kant added. The CJI asserted that action would be taken regardless of how high the matter reached, and added that the court would not permit any attack on the judicial institution.
“It seems to be a calculated and deep-rooted attack on the judiciary. We will not allow anyone to target the judicial institution,” the CJI further said.
The Controversy
Class 8 students will now learn about how judicial corruption and the rising backlog of cases impact India’s justice delivery system.
For the first time, a new Social Science textbook released by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) includes a comprehensive section on corruption within the judiciary and the increasing number of pending cases in courts. The revised textbook is expected to be distributed to schools soon.
The chapter, titled “The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society,” describes corruption as a serious issue that undermines the credibility of the judicial system. It also highlights the scale of case pendency across courts and explains the key reasons behind it, such as a shortage of judges, lengthy legal procedures, and lack of adequate infrastructure.
- With inputs from agencies
