The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Friday issued an advisory directing individuals and organisations to return copies of its banned Class 8 Social Science textbook and delete online content related to a controversial chapter on the judiciary, following a sweeping order by the Supreme Court of India.
In a strongly worded notice, the council asked that any copies of the textbook Exploring Society: India and Beyond be returned to its headquarters in New Delhi. It further instructed that any material from the chapter titled “Role of Judiciary in Our Society” shared on social media or digital platforms be removed “at the earliest possible”.
The advisory comes a day after the apex court imposed what it described as a “complete blanket ban” on the publication, reprinting and digital dissemination of the book. The court took exception to portions of the chapter that referred to corruption in the judiciary and described them as “offending”.
During the hearing, the bench remarked that “a gunshot has been fired and the institution is bleeding”, signalling the seriousness with which it viewed the matter.
On Thursday, the Union Ministry of Education wrote to the Ministries of Information and Broadcasting and Electronics and Information Technology, urging them to halt the circulation of the textbook through digital platforms and electronic media in compliance with the court’s order.
The now-withdrawn chapter had stated that corruption, a massive backlog of cases and an inadequate number of judges were among the key challenges facing India’s judicial system. These references triggered sharp criticism and eventually led to judicial intervention.
Following the Supreme Court’s rebuke, NCERT apologised for what it termed “inappropriate content” in the textbook. The council said the book would be comprehensively revised and rewritten in consultation with appropriate authorities to ensure accuracy and sensitivity.
The development has sparked a broader debate in academic and legal circles over the boundaries of textbook content and the manner in which institutional challenges should be discussed in school curricula.
For now, the council has made it clear that no copies, physical or digital, of the banned textbook should remain in circulation, as it moves to comply fully with the Supreme Court’s directive and rework the contentious material.
Also read: SC imposes blanket ban on Class 8 NCERT textbook
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