Supreme Court Takes Suo Motu Cognisance of NCERT Class 8 Chapter on Judicial Corruption
CJI Says Institution Will Not Be Defamed; Top Court Initiates Suo Motu Action
New Delhi, Feb 25: The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of content in a Class 8 NCERT social science textbook that discusses corruption in the judiciary, describing the issue as a matter of “grave concern.”
A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, addressed the issue after senior advocate Kapil Sibal raised objections to students being taught about alleged corruption within the judicial system.
The Chief Justice stated that the court would not permit any attempt to defame the institution and assured that appropriate legal steps would follow. Justice Bagchi observed that certain portions of the text appeared inconsistent with the Constitution’s basic structure principles.
The revised textbook identifies corruption, case backlogs, and shortage of judges as challenges facing the judiciary, while also noting that judges are bound by a code of conduct governing their professional and personal behaviour.
The court indicated that further proceedings will follow as it examines the matter.
