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The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed concern over the National Council of Educational Research and Training’s (NCERT) claim that the controversial chapter in a Class 8 social science textbook had been “duly rewritten”. The court said it was disturbed by the assertion and sought clarification on who had actually rewritten the chapter. 

A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant raised the issue while referring to an affidavit submitted by the NCERT director regarding the revised version of the chapter that contained content considered offensive to the judiciary. 

Court Questions Process Behind Chapter Rewrite 

"We are equally perturbed with the stand taken by the Director NCERT in paragraph 15 of the affidavit," the bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant said. 

The bench, which also included Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, directed that the chapter should not be published unless it receives approval from a panel of subject specialists. 

"We direct that if at all chapter 4 of the subject textbook has been rewritten, the same shall not be published unless it is approved by a committee comprising domain experts," the bench said. 

The judges also pointed out that the affidavit did not explain who the alleged experts were or who authorised the revised chapter to be included in the academic curriculum for the 2026–27 session. According to the court, this lack of transparency could complicate efforts to ensure that educational content about institutions like the judiciary remains objective and balanced. 

Government Assures Expert Review Before Publication 

During the hearing, the bench repeatedly questioned the procedure followed for rewriting the chapter after the court had earlier flagged concerns about its content. 

"Who has done it?" the bench asked. 

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, assured the court that the revised content would not be included in textbooks without scrutiny by a committee of experts. 

"I can assure nothing will go without being vetted by the committee of domain experts," the law officer said. 

The case is being heard suo motu by the apex court after it took note of the contentious material related to corruption in the judiciary included in the Class 8 social science textbook. 

NCERT Director Apologises, Details Lapses 

In his affidavit, NCERT Director Professor Dinesh Prasad Saklani issued an unconditional apology for the inclusion of the disputed chapter. 

He informed the court that the chapter had originally been drafted by a textbook development team led by Professor Michel Danino, with Suparna Diwakar and Alok Prasanna Kumar as members. 

"I state and submit that the above referred individuals shall not be associated with any activity of NCERT hereafter," the affidavit said. 

The director also acknowledged procedural lapses in the review process. The National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC), which has 19 members and is supposed to examine such material, was not shown the textbook before publication. 

"I state that this is a major and unpardonable lapse and shall be ensured that the same is not repeated hereafter," the NCERT director said. 

Textbooks Seized After Court Order 

The affidavit also detailed the status of the printed textbooks following the court’s earlier directions. A total of 82,440 copies had been printed, out of which 38 were sold to retail customers but later retrieved. 

According to the filing, 82,425 copies were seized and sealed and stored in NCERT warehouses, while 15 copies remain with the ministry and the office of the NCERT director. 

"It is humbly stated that in view of the above, the deponent in the capacity of being Director, NCERT has taken all necessary and urgent steps to implement the order as passed by this court concerning immediate seizure and sealing of textbook in both physical and digital form within the premises of NCERT," the affidavit said. 

The NCERT also confirmed that the textbook had not been circulated to schools or educational institutions for teaching purposes in either physical or digital format. 

Earlier, on February 26, the Supreme Court had imposed a "complete blanket ban" on any further publication, reprinting or digital dissemination of the Class 8 social science book, stating that the content related to corruption in the judiciary was highly objectionable.