After SC rap, NCERT 'trying' to retrieve sold copies of now-withdrawn class 8 textbook

NEW DELHI: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Thursday moved to retrieve 38 copies of the now-withdrawn Class 8 Social Science textbook after drawing sharp criticism from the Supreme Court. A bench led by CJI Surya Kant described the content as a “deep-rooted conspiracy to defame” the judiciary. The textbook sparked a judicial backlash after the newly introduced edition outlined key challenges facing the country’s judicial system, including corruption, a heavy backlog of cases, and an inadequate number of judges.However, following strong remarks from the CJI-led bench, NCERT on Wednesday decided to remove references to “corruption at various levels of the judiciary” from the textbook and revised the chapter titled ‘The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society.’In a late-night development, the board announced that it has put the distribution of the newly released textbook on hold after noticing “inappropriate textual material and error of judgement” in the chapter on the judiciary. It said the issue was flagged both internally and by the Department of School Education and Literacy under the education ministry.The CJI said, “Judges of the constitutional and district courts are perturbed by this. I have taken suo motu cognisance of the issue. I will not allow anyone on earth to defame the institution or taint its integrity. Whosoever and however high it may be, I know how to deal with it,” while addressing senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Mukul Rohatgi, who raised the matter at the start of proceedings at 10.30 am.The advocates informed the bench of CJI Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi that teaching students of an impressionable age about corruption in the judiciary could bring disrepute to the institution, and urged the apex court to take cognisance of the matter. The suo motu case has been listed for hearing on Thursday.