No intent to insult judiciary: Pradhan promises action in NCERT book row

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday expressed regret over a chapter on “judicial corruption” in the Class VIII social science book of the NCERT and promised to fix accountability and initiate action against those involved in drafting the controversial portion.

He said the government had no intention of disrespecting the judiciary.

“We respect the judiciary, and whatever the court has said, we will fully comply with it. I am deeply saddened by what has happened and express my regret over the incident. As soon as this matter came to my notice, I immediately directed the NCERT to take corrective steps and ensure that such an issue does not arise again. There was absolutely no intention to disrespect the judiciary, and the government had no such motive. We are taking this matter seriously, and an inquiry will be conducted,” Pradhan said.

Pradhan said in a democratic country like India, the judiciary was supreme, and the government had utmost respect for it. “We have taken the issue very seriously. The court’s directives will be complied with,” he said.

Pradhan said it was the government’s constitutional and moral responsibility to abide by its directions. “I assure the 140 crore citizens of the country that the government is fully committed to respecting and complying with the orders of the judiciary,” he said.

The NCERT reiterated there was no intent to question or diminish the authority of any constitutional body.

“As part of its continuous review process, the NCERT remains open to a constructive feedback...the same shall be re-written after consultation with the appropriate authority…and will be made available to students of Class VIII on the commencement of the academic session 2026-27. The NCERT once again regrets this error of judgement and apologises while re-iterating its resolve to continuously work for institutional sanctity and respect,” a statement said.

After wading into a controversy over its section “corruption in judiciary”, the sale of the newly published NCERT social science textbook of Class VIII has been put on hold. The book was released on February 23.

Officials in the NCERT confirmed that the sale was put on hold on Tuesday.

The book had introduced a section on “corruption in the judiciary” in the chapter titled “The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society”. The chapter lists the approximate number of pending cases in the Supreme Court (81,000), high courts (62,40,000) and district and subordinate courts (4,70,00,000).