New Delhi, March 11: To protect the institutional dignity of the courts, the Supreme Court has ordered the formation of a specialized committee to oversee legal studies in school textbooks. The apex court asserted on Wednesday that the Centre must act within seven days to appoint a panel comprising legal and academic experts to replace the previous team tasked with drafting social science content for the NCERT.
The ruling comes amid a suo motu case concerning a Class 8 textbook that allegedly contained derogatory remarks about corruption within the judiciary. The bench directed that the authors of the chapter—Michel Danino, Suparna Diwakar, and Alok Prasanna Kumar—be forthwith removed from any ongoing curriculum projects. The court stated that the National Judicial Academy should play a consultative role in finalizing the new syllabus to ensure accuracy and professional standards.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the bench that the government is currently reviewing textbooks across all grade levels to prevent similar issues. Mehta affirmed that the NCERT has tendered an unqualified apology and that the administration has launched a systemic overhaul of the vetting process. He noted that the government’s priority is to ensure that future educational materials are verified by recognized authorities before they reach students.
The apex court previously described the controversial content as a “gunshot” that left the judiciary “bleeding,” leading to an order for the immediate seizure of all physical and digital copies in circulation. While the bench affirmed that healthy criticism of the judiciary is permitted, it maintained that the specific content in question appeared to be part of a “deep-rooted conspiracy.” The new expert panel is expected to provide a balanced and legally sound framework for students learning about the Indian judicial system.
