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CJI Surya Kant Takes Objection To NCERT Class 8 Book Chapter On 'Corruption In Judiciary' — UPSC Current Affairs | February 25, 2026
CJI Surya Kant Takes Objection To NCERT Class 8 Book Chapter On 'Corruption In Judiciary'
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Wednesday took serious objection to the new NCERT Class 8 book containing portions regarding "corruption in judiciary." CJI said that he will not allow anyone to defame or denigrate the institution and will take appropriate action. Yesterday, the Indian Express had reported that the new NCERT Class 8 book on social sciences cited "corruption in judiciary" and "massive backlogs" as major challenges. Today, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, accompanied by Senior Advocate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, mentioned the issue before the CJI. "We are deeply disturbed as the members of this institution to find that children of Class 8 students are being taught about corruption in judiciary. It is part of the NCERT. We have great stake in the institution; it is entirely scandalous. We have the copies of the book," Sibal said. The CJI said that he is aware of the issue, and he received various calls and messages regarding this. He added that many judges were "perturbed" by the contents of the book. "I can assure all of you. I am fully aware of it," CJI said. When Sibal said that he hoped the Court would take suo motu notice of the matter, CJI replied, "Wait for a day. This is definitely concerning the entire institution. The bar and the bench are perturbed. Every stakeholder in the system is really perturbed, I am receiving lot of calls and messages. There are judges of High Courts who are perturbed. Since you have mentioned, I am informing you, I have already passed an order and am taking the matter suo motu. I will not allow anyone on earth to taint the integrity of the institution and defame the institution. At any cost, I will not permit it. Whosoever high it may be, the law will take its course. I know how to deal with it," CJI said. Singhvi said that the more than the content itself, the selectivity of the issue was concerning, as if there was no corruption elsewhere. There was not a word about corruption in bureaucracy, politics, public life and other institutions, he said. "It seems to be a very calculated and deep-rooted measure to...we don't want to say anything more...I am aware and I have done my duty,"CJI said. CJI thanked Sibal and Singhvi for bringing the issue to his attention. Justice Bagchi said that "Constitutional integrity to the basic structure is missing in the structure of the book."
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Overview

CJI’s objection to NCERT’s ‘judicial corruption’ chapter underscores judiciary‑image vs civic education

Key Facts

  1. 27 March 2024: CJI Surya Kant publicly objected to the NCERT Class‑8 textbook content.
  2. The new NCERT Class‑8 Social Science textbook contains a chapter titled “Corruption in the Judiciary” and mentions “massive backlogs”.
  3. Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal and Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi raised the issue before the CJI, presenting copies of the book.
  4. CJI Surya Kant announced a suo‑motu order to examine the textbook, stating that any defamation of the judiciary will not be tolerated.
  5. Justice B.N. Bagchi remarked that the textbook lacks “constitutional integrity to the basic structure”.
  6. The controversy highlights selective criticism, as the textbook does not similarly address corruption in bureaucracy, politics or other public institutions.
  7. NCERT functions under the Ministry of Education and is the nodal agency for school curricula in India.

Background & Context

The episode touches upon the constitutional principle of judicial independence and the ethical dilemma of portraying institutional flaws in civic education. It also raises questions about the role of textbooks in shaping public perception, a key theme under GS‑1 (Polity) and GS‑4 (Ethics & Integrity).

UPSC Syllabus Connections

GS4•Dimensions of ethics - private and public relationshipsGS2•Executive and Judiciary - structure, organization and functioningPrelims_GS•Constitution and Political SystemGS4•Ethics in public administration, ethical concerns and dilemmasGS4•Work culture, quality of service delivery, utilization of public funds, corruption

Mains Answer Angle

GS‑1: Discuss the tension between safeguarding the judiciary’s image and ensuring transparent civic education. A possible Mains question could ask candidates to evaluate whether the inclusion of judicial corruption in school textbooks is justified.

Full Article

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Wednesday took serious objection to the new NCERT Class 8 book containing portions regarding "corruption in judiciary." CJI said that he will not allow anyone to defame or denigrate the institution and will take appropriate action. Yesterday, the Indian Express had reported that the new NCERT Class 8 book on social sciences cited "corruption in judiciary" and "massive backlogs" as major challenges. Today, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, accompanied by Senior Advocate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, mentioned the issue before the CJI. "We are deeply disturbed as the members of this institution to find that children of Class 8 students are being taught about corruption in judiciary. It is part of the NCERT. We have great stake in the institution; it is entirely scandalous. We have the copies of the book," Sibal said. The CJI said that he is aware of the issue, and he received various calls and messages regarding this. He added that many judges were "perturbed" by the contents of the book. "I can assure all of you. I am fully aware of it," CJI said. When Sibal said that he hoped the Court would take suo motu notice of the matter, CJI replied, "Wait for a day. This is definitely concerning the entire institution. The bar and the bench are perturbed. Every stakeholder in the system is really perturbed, I am receiving lot of calls and messages. There are judges of High Courts who are perturbed. Since you have mentioned, I am informing you, I have already passed an order and am taking the matter suo motu. I will not allow anyone on earth to taint the integrity of the institution and defame the institution. At any cost, I will not permit it. Whosoever high it may be, the law will take its course. I know how to deal with it," CJI said. Singhvi said that the more than the content itself, the selectivity of the issue was concerning, as if there was no corruption elsewhere. There was not a word about corruption in bureaucracy, politics, public life and other institutions, he said. "It seems to be a very calculated and deep-rooted measure to...we don't want to say anything more...I am aware and I have done my duty,"CJI said. CJI thanked Sibal and Singhvi for bringing the issue to his attention. Justice Bagchi said that "Constitutional integrity to the basic structure is missing in the structure of the book."
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Analysis

Practice Questions

Prelims
Medium
Prelims MCQ

Judicial independence and separation of powers

2 marks
5 keywords
GS1
Easy
Mains Short Answer

Polity – Judiciary and public perception

10 marks
5 keywords
GS1
Hard
Mains Essay

Polity – Role of education in democratic governance

10 marks
5 keywords
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