"Apologies won't suffice, who is behind this?" SC rebukes NCERT over book controversy

The Supreme Court recently took suo motu cognizance of the chapter "Corruption in the Judiciary" in the NCERT Class 8 textbook. A bench of the Supreme Court heard the matter on Thursday.

A bench comprising CJI Surya Kant, Justice J. Bagchi, and Justice Pancholi issued a show-cause notice to the NCERT Director and the Education Secretary. The next hearing will be held on March 11.

It is noteworthy that following the CJI's displeasure, NCERT withdrew the book. The Council also issued an unconditional apology. The court is taking a firm stance on the matter. CJI Surya Kant stated that this is a deliberate move to lower the dignity of the judiciary. "As the head of the judiciary, the hearing will continue until I am satisfied," he said.

We apologize unconditionally: NCERT

During the court hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing NCERT, said, "First of all, we apologize unconditionally. The Secretary of School Education is here."

The CJI responded, "There's not a single word of apology in their notice. Someone sent it to me. The way this director has tried to hype it up. I asked the Secretary General whether such a publication actually happened. It was published by a very responsible newspaper, yet there's a deep conspiracy behind it."

The judiciary is drenched in blood: CJI

The Solicitor General said, "Those responsible will not be involved in such activities in the future. 32 books have been released; they are being withdrawn. A team will review the entire chapter. There's another section about pendency, titled 'Justice Delayed is Justice Denied'... We cannot teach that justice is denied."

The CJI said, "You have let it go very lightly. The arrow came from his (responsible) bow, and today the judiciary is drenched in blood. The book is available in the market, and I have also received a copy from the source."