Congress calls the book revision disgraceful, dangerous and ‘RSS-driven’
NEW DELHI — The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has apologised and put on hold the distribution of its newly released Class 8 Social Science textbook after the Supreme Court Itook strong exception to certain references to the judiciary and initiated suo motu proceedings.
On Thursday, the apex court came down heavily on NCERT over references to “corruption in the judiciary” in the Class 8 textbook, observing that the controversy appeared to be the result of a “calculated move” that had left the judiciary “bleeding”.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, was hearing a suo motu case titled In Re: Social Science Textbook for Grade–8 (Part-2) published by NCERT and ancillary issues.
The bench passed interim directions, including an immediate nationwide seizure of the textbook, removal of digital copies, and a complete ban on its publication and circulation until further orders.
Recording its prima facie view, the court said the publication reflected “a calculated move to undermine the institutional authority and demean the dignity of the judiciary,” warning that such narratives could erode public confidence if left unchecked.
The court noted that while the chapter discussed the role of the judiciary, it failed to adequately acknowledge its historic contributions, including safeguarding constitutional morality, upholding the basic structure doctrine, and expanding access to justice through legal aid reforms.
The bench issued show-cause notices to the Secretary, Department of School Education, Ministry of Education, and NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani, asking them to explain why action under the Contempt of Courts Act or other applicable laws should not be initiated against those responsible for drafting the chapter.
The court directed NCERT, in coordination with Union and State education authorities, to immediately seize and remove all physical and digital copies of the book from schools, retail outlets, storage facilities, and online platforms.
In a press statement, NCERT admitted to an “error in judgment”. The council said certain “inappropriate textual material” had inadvertently appeared in Chapter 4, titled “The Role of Judiciary in Our Society” (pages 125–142).
“The aforesaid error is purely unintentional and NCERT regrets the inclusion of inappropriate material in the said chapter,” the statement said, adding that distribution of the book has been put on hold.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh criticised the textbook revision process, describing the decade-long rewriting of NCERT textbooks as “disgraceful” and “dangerous”.
In a post on X, Ramesh alleged that the revisions were an “RSS-driven exercise full of mischief and malice” and called for an investigation into the process.
“The Supreme Court is rightly agitated over critical references to the judiciary in NCERT textbooks. Actually, the way NCERT textbooks have been rewritten over the past decade is disgraceful, apart from being dangerous as well. It has been an RSS-driven exercise full of mischief and malice. It is this racket that needs to be investigated,” he said.
