REGULATORY · INDIA
India school curriculum: NCERT pulls Class 8 textbook after Supreme Court objection to judiciary-corruption content
Change
NCERT removed a Class 8 social science textbook from its website after the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance and objected to passages discussing judicial corruption, and NCERT is considering deleting the disputed portions from already-printed copies.
Why it matters
NCERT has taken the executed step of pulling the Class 8 textbook from online access following Supreme Court objections to statements about the judiciary in the text. Sources cited in the report say NCERT is also considering removing the controversial portions from printed books, which would create a version-control issue across schools already holding copies. The court’s suo motu action and the Chief Justice’s remarks signal heightened scrutiny of how the judiciary is described in official school materials. Schools in Delhi reported no directive yet on whether to teach the portions, leaving near-term instructional planning and assessment alignment uncertain.
Implications
- • Immediate access disruption for schools relying on NCERT’s online textbook copy
- • Potential split between printed and revised versions if deletions proceed
- • Higher legal/reputational sensitivity for curriculum content referencing the judiciary
- • Short-notice changes may affect lesson plans and assessment alignment for Class 8
Who is affected
- • NCERT (curriculum publisher and distributor)
- • Class 8 schools and teachers using NCERT social science textbooks
- • State/central education administrators overseeing curriculum implementation
- • Textbook printers/distributors managing revisions and inventory
Source
Topics
World & Politics Governance Policy & Regulation Law & Public Safety Court Rulings