NCERT issues public apology, withdraws Class 8 textbook after row over judiciary chapter
New Delhi: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Tuesday issued a public apology over a chapter in its Class 8 Social Science textbook titled ‘Exploring Society: India and Beyond’ (Grade 8, Part II), which contained a section on the judiciary. The council also announced that the entire book has been withdrawn and is no longer available.
In a statement, NCERT said it had recently published the Social Science textbook ‘Exploring Society: India and Beyond’ for Grade 8 (Part II), which included the Chapter IV titled ‘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 The entire book has been withdrawn and is not available,” the council said in the statement.
Earlier, on February 27, NCERT had issued an advisory asking people to return copies of the banned Class 8 Social Science textbook to its headquarters. The advisory came after concerns were raised over a chapter in the book that dealt with alleged “judicial corruption”.
In the strongly-worded advisory, NCERT directed that anyone in possession of the textbook titled ‘Exploring Society: India and Beyond’ should immediately return it to the council’s headquarters. It also instructed that any material from the chapter titled ‘The Role of Judiciary in Our Society’ that had been shared on social media or other digital platforms must be removed without delay.
The action followed a communication from the Union Ministry of Education to the ministries of electronics and information technology, and information and broadcasting. The ministry requested them to stop the distribution of the controversial textbook on digital platforms and electronic media after it was banned by the Supreme Court.
On February 26, the Supreme Court ordered a “complete blanket ban” on any further publication, reprinting, or digital circulation of the NCERT Class 8 book. The court observed that the textbook contained “offending” references regarding corruption in the judiciary.
Expressing serious concern, the court remarked that “a gunshot has been fired and the institution is bleeding.”
The controversy began over a chapter in the Social Science textbook that discussed challenges faced by the judicial system. According to the book, issues such as a large backlog of cases, a shortage of judges, and alleged corruption were among the problems confronting the judiciary.