The Central government has informed the Supreme Court that it has constituted a three-member expert committee to rewrite the judiciary chapter in the NCERT Class 8 textbook, following a controversy over its content.
The committee includes former Attorney General KK Venugopal, former Supreme Court judge Indu Malhotra, and Justice Aniruddha Bose. The panel has been tasked with revising the chapter to ensure accuracy and balanced representation for school students.
WHAT TRIGGERED THE CONTROVERSY
The move comes after a section in the textbook referred to “corruption in the judiciary,” which drew criticism and raised concerns about how the institution was being portrayed to young learners.
The issue gained traction after it was flagged publicly, prompting the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance. The court sought responses from the Centre and NCERT, questioning the inclusion of such content in a school textbook.
NCERT WITHDREW CHAPTER, SALES HALTED
Following the court’s intervention, NCERT acknowledged the issue and withdrew the chapter. The Supreme Court also stayed the sale of the textbook containing the content, effectively halting its circulation.
This interim step was aimed at preventing further confusion among students and parents while the matter was being examined.
SUPREME COURT CLOSES CASE
During the latest hearing, the Centre informed the court that an expert panel had been formed to rewrite the chapter.
Taking note of this assurance, the Supreme Court closed its suo motu proceedings in the matter.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The expert committee is now expected to review the content and produce a revised version of the chapter. The episode highlights how closely school curriculum content is scrutinised, especially when it deals with sensitive institutions like the judiciary.
