The Supreme Court took suo moto cognisance of the issue of Class 8 students being taught about “corruption in the Indian judiciary” in their NCERT curriculum.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) remarked, “I’m fully aware of it. We will wait for a day. This definitely concerns the entire institution, both bar and bench. I am getting a lot of calls, lots of messages. I’m taking suo moto cognisance of the issue. I will not let anybody, no matter how high up they are, defame the institution.”
The matter was highlighted before the CJI-led bench by senior lawyers Kapil Sibal and Abhishek M. Singhvi, who pointed out that the curriculum presents corruption in the judiciary as if it is unique to the institution, while leaving out other sectors such as bureaucracy and politics. “They have left out bureaucracy, politics, etc. Not a word on other sectors. They are teaching as if it only exists in this institution,” the lawyers noted.
Acknowledging the gravity of the issue, the CJI added, “It’s a calculated and deep-rooted thing. We will not say anything more than that. As head of the institution, I’m aware, and I’m already doing something about it.”
The Supreme Court’s intervention comes amid growing concerns over how sensitive topics relating to public institutions are being presented to young students. The bench is expected to examine the matter further in the coming days.
