SC hearing on NCERT Class 8 textbook LIVE updates: Supreme Court orders blanket ban on NCERT textbook with chapter on ‘corruption’ in judiciary

Getting a full bunch and a full bunch of calls. Even before (Kapil) Sibal talked about it the outdated day, I had taken cognisance, CJI Kant says.

He thanks the media “for bringing this out”.

“All of us need to stand together and defend the independence of the judicial establishment,” he states.

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The SG says the most stylish apology is now no longer satisfactory. An unqualified and unconditional apology might perchance well be published. 

The individuals who prepared the chapter would now no longer be linked to any preparation of any chapter or any work in any ministry, he adds.

Each bodily and digital copies of the book need to be seized or withdrawn from public salvage true of entry to, CJI says in direction to all training secretaries. 

SG says out of 2.38 lakh books, simplest about a books beget long previous. No books beget long previous out in a full bunch, CJI adds.

He asks for compliance studies to be filed in two weeks.

The NCERT, in coordination with Union and State departments, are directed to make certain that copies of the book, exhausting or soft, in circulation are straight seized and far flung from public salvage true of entry to, even from digital platforms.

It might perchance well probably presumably be the non-public responsibility of the NCERT Director and college principals, the Bench says

The demand is to whether or now no longer the apology has been tendered no doubt or now no longer to wriggle out the region when colossal bother has been performed, we’ll beget in mind at a later stage.

“We judge it appropriate to topic point to trigger peek to Dept. of College Training secretary, Dr. Dinesh Prakash Sakhlani (NCERT Director) as to why moral motion below contempt of court docket act or in step with every other provisions of legislation towards them or those learned to blame for introducing the offending chapter,” CJI says.

The peek has been published in the media and replica placed on document by the Solicitor Same old. It is a press launch issued by the NCERT. 

In accordance with this launch, the Division of College Training and Literacy said the distribution of the book has been held abet till additional orders. That chapter would be rewritten, it has said. An apology has also been tendered in the launch.

The necessity to judicial intervention has arisen, CJI Kant says, to safeguard the pedagogical sanctity. “Students are simplest initiating to navigate the nuances of lifestyles, it is basically sinful to show them to biased misconceptions at this at ease age.”

“There is a need to treasure the manifold and onerous tasks by the judiciary,” the CJI says, adding that it’d lasting impact on judicial independence.

“We now need to rob into consideration that the topic book is now no longer going to dwell confined to students simplest, the contents are sure to toddle from students, academics to dad and mother and at the side of the next generation too. It might perchance well probably presumably beget lasting impact on judicial independence. Such misconduct falls within prison contempt if it proves to be deliberate it’d be quantity to scandalising the establishment and bring it to disrepute,” he adds.

CJI Kant says that the dwell court docket, at this juncture, does now no longer imply to open suo motu complaints to stifle respectable criticism of public institutions, at the side of the judiciary

“It appears to us that the preference of words, expressions in the book might perchance well presumably now no longer be simpliciter inadvertent. At this juncture, we might perchance well presumably on the opposite hand speed to add that we characteristic out now no longer imply to open suo motu complaints to stifle respectable criticism of public institutions, at the side of the judiciary. We’re of the firm opinion that dissent and criticism is key to democracy and encourages institutional accountability,” he says.

The Bench states that apparently the book’s story chooses now no longer to delve into any of the transformative measures or initiatives to overtake the apt abet and ease of salvage true of entry to to justice.

This silence is highly egregious given the high rating officers who had been censured by this court docket, the CJI says.

In his remarks, CJI Kant says that if right here’s allowed to trip unchecked, it might perchance well perhaps presumably erode the sanctity of the judiciary in the eyes of the public and “extra importantly the impressionable minds of the early life”.

While the e-newsletter dedicates the position of judiciary in the society and washed off with one stroke of the pen the successfully-known history of the Supreme Courtroom, HCs is consciously committed without citing any substantive contributions of those institutions in direction of keeping the democratic values.

“The text fails to show the position of the judiciary in upholding constitutional values, general structure,” the CJI adds.

The Framers of our Structure has been profoundly cautious and took care that the three pillars – legislature, executive and judiciary – carry out in respective autonomy, CJI Kant says.

By seen constitutionally prescribed demarcation, we’re disturbed when a number one newspaper published a piece of writing regarding the launch of social science textbook for Class 8 titled ‘exploring society India and beyond’ February 2026 by NCERT.

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Justice Joymalya Bagchi says online platforms wants to be urged to rob down. It is very lopsided because it has now no longer been highlighted that judiciary is the protector of the Structure. “How we characteristic out apt abet, and so on., now no longer talked about,” he says.

“Heads need to roll. There need to be a deeper probe into this topic. Who’re the persons silly this? We’re seeking to clutch. We must always,” CJI Kant states.

CJI Kant says right here’s a basically very calculated switch. Academics beget also been urged and the oldsters would also need to educate younger of us. 

The deep-rooted conspiracy towards the judiciary, he adds.

Senior imply Kapil Sibal says the textbook is in available in pdf format and it’d be circulated.

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SG says the two individuals who prepared this chapter might perchance well presumably also now no longer be linked to any ministry. He adds that 32 books are being withdrawn from the market while your entire chapter might perchance well also be withdrawn.

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CJI Surya Kant says there is now no longer a single be aware of apology in the NCERT peek. “That is a deep-rooted conspiracy,” he adds.

Earlier on Wednesday (February 25, 2026), CJI Kant became furious as he referred to the textual negate material as a “tentatively calculated, deep-rooted strive” to denigrate the judicial establishment.

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The chapter ‘The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society’ in the Class 8 Social Science book prescribed by NCERT mentions that corruption, a broad backlog of cases, and a lack of satisfactory preference of judges were among the “challenges” confronted by the judicial scheme. The allotment on “corruption in the judiciary” in the book states that judges were sure by a code of habits that governed now no longer simplest their behaviour in court docket but as well how they conducted themselves initiate air of it.

In its commentary, the NCERT said the textbook became introduced out “as per extant design”, adding that the “tainted textual topic material” and “error in judgement” had been “seen” “on receiving the textbook”. It said that the Division of College Training also made a similar observations.

The Supreme Courtroom is scheduled to hear on Thursday morning (February 26, 2026) a suo motu case registered over the inclusion of a chapter — ‘The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society’ — on “corruption” in the judiciary in the NCERT’s latest Social Science textbook for Class 8.

A 3-resolve Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi will hear the case titled ‘In Re: Social Science Textbook for Grade-8 (Portion 2) published by NCERT and ancillary concerns’.