Supreme Court Bans NCERT Textbook Over “Corruption” Chapter, Cites ‘Deep-Rooted Conspiracy’

Supreme Court Bans NCERT Textbook Over “Corruption” Chapter, Cites ‘Deep-Rooted Conspiracy’

This legal crackdown occurs amid heightened scrutiny of judicial accountability. Justice Surya Kant’s own appointment as CJI in late 2025 was met with formal appeals for transparency regarding past ethical concerns and corruption allegations, though he was ultimately confirmed by the government.

RMN News Legal Desk
New Delhi | February 26, 2026

NEW DELHI — The Supreme Court of India on Thursday, February 26, 2026, ordered a complete, blanket ban on the reprinting and digital dissemination of a new Class 8 Social Science textbook due to a chapter discussing corruption within the judiciary.

A three-judge Bench, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, characterized the inclusion of the material as a “deep-rooted conspiracy against the judiciary” and ordered the immediate seizure of all copies currently in circulation. The court, hearing a suo motu case, has demanded compliance reports within two weeks.

“It is fundamentally wrong to expose students to biased misconceptions at this tender age,” CJI Surya Kant stated during the proceedings.

The textbook, titled Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Vol II, was officially released on February 24, 2026. The controversial content was located in Chapter 4, “The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society,” which listed massive case backlogs and corruption at various levels as significant hurdles to justice. These themes were recently echoed in the India Judicial Research Report 2025, which highlighted a staggering backlog of nearly 50 million pending cases and characterized the judiciary as a “compromised institution”.

In response to the judicial backlash, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) issued an unconditional apology, describing the inclusion of the material as an “unintentional” error of judgment. According to reports, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that the individuals who prepared the chapter would be barred from any future work with any government ministry.

The NCERT has confirmed that distribution of the book has stopped and the chapter will be rewritten in consultation with appropriate authorities for the 2026-27 academic session.

This legal crackdown occurs amid heightened scrutiny of judicial accountability. Justice Surya Kant’s own appointment as CJI in late 2025 was met with formal appeals for transparency regarding past ethical concerns and corruption allegations, though he was ultimately confirmed by the government. Critics and reports like the IJRR 2025 continue to warn that the rule of law remains at risk without structural changes, such as public scrutiny of appointments and audits for judicial bias.