Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on March 10 tendered an unconditional and unqualified public apology over the controversial chapter referring to corruption in the judiciary in its now-withdrawn Class 8 Social Science textbook. Coming on the eve of the Supreme Court hearing scheduled for March 11 , NCERT said in a press release shared on the social media platform X that the textbook titled ‘Exploring Society: India and Beyond,’ Grade 8 (Part II), included Chapter IV, ‘The Role of Judiciary in Our Society. “The Director and Members of NCERT hereby tender an unconditional and unqualified apology for the said Chapter IV. The entire book has been withdrawn and is not available,” the statement said.
“We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate the understanding of all stakeholders. NCERT remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of accuracy, sensitivity, and responsibility in educational content,” it added.
The development comes in the backdrop of strong observations made by the Supreme Court last month while taking suo motu cognisance of the contents of the textbook. In an order passed on February 26, a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant ordered the immediate nationwide withdrawal of the book and imposed a complete blanket ban on its publication, reprinting and digital dissemination.
The Bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, observed that references in the chapter to “corruption in the judiciary” prima facie reflected a “discernible underlying agenda to undermine the institutional authority and demean the dignity of the judiciary”.
