Breaking Insight: Supreme Court issues show-cause notice to NCERT bench on 'Judiciary Corruption Chapter'. CJI Surya Kant warned of contempt action. The court is taking a strict stand on the controversial Class 8 textbook and its PDF circulation.

Supreme Court notice NCERT: A chapter related to “Corruption in Judiciary” in the NCERT Social Science book of Class 8 has become the cause of big controversy these days. Considering this matter as serious, the Supreme Court has issued a show cause notice to the NCERT Chairman. The court has clearly said that if there is an attempt to damage the image of the judiciary, then strict action will be taken against those responsible. Chief Justice Surya Kant said during the hearing that if students and teachers are taught that “the judiciary is corrupt”, it will have a negative impact. He also said that the case will not be closed until accountability is fixed.

Has the NCERT book raised questions on the image of the judiciary?

The Supreme Court believes that the chapter focused more on corruption and pending cases, while not enough space was given to information on access to justice, legal aid and reforms. The court called it a “biased story” and said that it could send a wrong message to the minds of the students.

Did the government admit its mistake?

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the central government, apologized to the Supreme Court. He said that the government has taken this matter seriously and action was taken as soon as the controversial content came to light. Two people associated with this chapter have been separated from the activities of any ministry in future.

Why has PDF circulation increased the concern?

Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal told the court that the PDF version of the book has spread online on a large scale. He said that digital circulation is more than hard copy. On this, Justice Joymalya Bagchi also said that the government should take steps to remove the content available online.

Will the copies of the book be confiscated?

After the hearing, the Supreme Court directed that all the copies of the book containing this chapter should be confiscated immediately. The court also said that mere announcement of withdrawal of the book is not enough, unless it is completely removed from the market and social media.

Can this become a case of contempt of court?

The court has clearly indicated that if it is found that the dignity of the judiciary has been deliberately insulted, then contempt of court action can be taken. The court called it an attempt to weaken the authority of the judiciary.

Why did this matter become so big?

This matter is not just a textbook. This raises questions about what should be taught to students, what kind of language should be used and how the image of institutions should be presented in a balanced manner. If one-sided information is given in education, it may affect the thinking of the coming generations.