SC on NCERT's 'corruption in judiciary' chapter: ‘Will not allow institution to be defamed’
Corruption, massive backlog of cases, and lack of an adequate number of judges are among the "challenges" faced by the judicial system, according to the new social science NCERT textbook for Class 8
Flagging references to judicial corruption in a Class 8 NCERT textbook, the Supreme Court on Wednesday (February 25) took suo motu cognisance and expressed serious concern over the content.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi was urged by senior advocate Kapil Sibal that "children of class 8 are taught about corruption in the judiciary. This is a matter of grave concern."
Textbook content
Corruption, massive backlog of cases, and lack of an adequate number of judges are among the "challenges" faced by the judicial system, according to the new social science NCERT textbook for Class 8.
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The section "corruption in the judiciary" in the new book states that judges are bound by a code of conduct that governs not only their behaviour in court, but also how they conduct themselves outside it.
‘Law will take its course’
The CJI said, "I will not allow anybody to defame the institution. Law will take its course." He added, "As head of the institution, I have done my duty and have taken cognisance … This seems to be a calculated move. I won't say much." Justice Bagchi said the book seemed to be against the basic structure of the Constitution.
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The CJI said, "Please wait for a few days. Bar and Bench are all perturbed. All high court judges are perturbed. I will take up the matter suo motu. I will not allow anybody to defame the institution. Law will take its course." Later, Justice Kant said that the top court has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter.