The Supreme Court has recalled its earlier order blacklisting three academics involved in the controversial NCERT Class 8 Judiciary Chapter. The court also revoked the directive barring these academics from academic projects in government and public educational institutions. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi delivered the verdict after hearing petitions filed by Professors Michel Danino, Suparna Diwakar and Alok Prasanna Kumar, who had sought the recall of the March 11, 2026 order.
The court clarified that the central and state governments can take their own decisions regarding engaging these academics in any academic work. In its previous order, the Supreme Court had stated that these academics deliberately misrepresented facts and attempted to portray the Indian judiciary in a negative light to Class 8 students. The court has now removed this comment.
During the hearing, the court acknowledged that there was no malice in drafting the chapter and that it was prepared after a collective decision. Senior advocate Shyam Divan told the court that the March order was passed without hearing academics. He explained that it was not the authorship of a single individual, but rather a collective one.
Meanwhile, senior lawyer Gopal Sankaranarayanan said that the chapter on the judiciary was intended to further the learning of grades 6 and 7. He argued that when issues related to the judiciary are openly discussed in the media, students should also understand the true picture of the system. Justice Bagchi said the problem was that the book portrayed corruption as a problem specific to the judiciary. He added that the book did not mention legal aid and the positive role of the judiciary.
The SC reiterated that the book's content was inappropriate and unnecessary. It also noted that the central government had already formed an expert committee headed by a former SC judge to review the content.
What was the controversy all about?
The NCERT's Social Science textbook for class 8 states that corruption, a massive backlog of cases and the lack of an adequate number of judges are among the challenges faced by the judicial system. The NCERT has also apologised for "inappropriate content" after facing the Supreme Court's ire over the chapter and said the book will be rewritten in consultation with appropriate authorities.
Also Read : NCERT book row: Supreme Court blacklists Class 8 judiciary chapter authors
