{"id":67757,"date":"2026-02-27T20:16:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T14:46:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=67757"},"modified":"2026-02-27T20:28:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T14:58:37","slug":"supreme-court-ncert-chapter-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/27-02-2026\/supreme-court-ncert-chapter-ban","title":{"rendered":"Supreme Court Bans NCERT Chapter on Judicial Corruption"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Polity &amp; Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recently, the Supreme Court of India has <strong>imposed a blanket ban<\/strong> on a Class 8 NCERT textbook chapter <strong>dealing with corruption in the judiciary, <\/strong>and warned of <strong>\u2018serious action\u2019<\/strong> in case of non-compliance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Observations of the Supreme Court<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A Bench<strong> headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant<\/strong> made the following key observations:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The inclusion of the chapter appeared to be a <strong>\u2018calculated move to undermine the institution\u2019<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It may amount to <strong>criminal contempt<\/strong> due to its potential to lower the authority of the judiciary.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The matter requires a <strong>deeper probe<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If unchecked, such actions could <strong>erode public faith in the judiciary<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Court emphasized <strong>institutional responsibility: <\/strong><strong><em>\u2018Heads must roll\u2019.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Solicitor General tendered an <strong>unconditional and unqualified apology<\/strong> on behalf of the Ministry of Education.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Constitutional and Legal Dimensions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Independence of Judiciary: <\/strong>Part of the <strong>Basic Structure Doctrine<\/strong><strong><em>(Kesavananda Bharati case).<\/em><\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ensures autonomy from executive and legislative interference.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Essential for rule of law and constitutional supremacy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Court appears to view the chapter as an attempt to weaken this institutional independence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Contempt of Court: <\/strong>It is governed by <strong>Contempt of Courts Act, 1971<\/strong>. Criminal contempt includes acts that:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Scandalize or lower the authority of the court;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Interfere with judicial proceedings;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obstruct administration of justice;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Bench indicated that the chapter<strong> may fall within this definition.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Freedom of Expression vs Institutional Integrity: Article 19(1)(a)<\/strong> guarantees freedom of speech and expression. Reasonable restrictions under <strong>Article 19(2) <\/strong>include <strong>contempt of court; defamation; and public order.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The issue highlights a tension between academic discourse and criticism of institutions, and protection of judicial dignity and authority.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Role of NCERT and Curriculum Governance: <\/strong>NCERT develops national curriculum frameworks.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Curriculum content often becomes politically and constitutionally sensitive.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Judicial scrutiny of textbooks has occurred in the past in matters involving ideology, history, and constitutional values.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This incident raises questions about <strong>curriculum oversight mechanisms, academic accountability, and institutional consultation processes.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Governance and Institutional Trust: <\/strong>The Supreme Court stressed that unchecked actions could erode <strong>public confidence in the judiciary<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In a democracy, courts derive legitimacy from public trust, and constructive criticism strengthens institutions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, unfounded or sensational allegations may weaken institutional credibility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maintaining balance is critical for democratic stability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/03-12-2025\/indian-judicial-system-reform\"><strong>Judicial Corruption in India<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Judicial corruption refers to <strong>misuse of judicial authority<\/strong> for private gain, including bribery, favoritism, influence in appointments, and case manipulation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Constitutional Position of Judiciary in India<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In India, while the higher judiciary enjoys constitutional independence, concerns have periodically emerged regarding transparency, accountability, and ethical standards.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Article 50:<\/strong> Separation of judiciary from executive<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Articles 124\u2013147:<\/strong> Structure and independence of Supreme Court<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Articles 214\u2013231:<\/strong> High Courts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Article 129 &amp; 215:<\/strong> Power to punish for contempt<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Basic Structure Doctrine:<\/strong> Judicial independence is part of the basic structure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Judicial independence is essential to rule of law, but <strong>independence without accountability risks institutional insularity<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Institutional Concerns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Appointment Process (Collegium System): <\/strong>The collegium system, evolved through the <strong>Three Judges Cases<\/strong>, has been<strong> criticized for lack of transparency.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It promotes opacity and elite capture.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Contempt Jurisdiction: <\/strong>The judiciary\u2019s power to punish for \u2018scandalizing the court\u2019 sometimes creates tension between accountability and institutional protection.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>In-House Mechanism: Internal judicial inquiry processes<\/strong> lack statutory backing and transparency.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/supreme-court-ncert-class-8-chapter-corruption-in-judiciary-suo-motu-case-hearing-february-26-live-updates\/article70678221.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source: TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Recently, the Supreme Court of India has imposed a blanket ban on a Class 8 NCERT textbook chapter dealing with corruption in the judiciary, and warned of \u2018serious action\u2019 in case of non-compliance. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Observations of the Supreme Court <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> A Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant made the following key observations: <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The inclusion of the chapter appeared to be a \u2018calculated move to undermine the institution\u2019. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> It may amount to criminal contempt due to its potential to lower the authority of the judiciary. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/27-02-2026\/supreme-court-ncert-chapter-ban \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67757"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67757\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67761,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67757\/revisions\/67761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}