TheNational Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)has updated itsClass 8 Social Science textbookto include a detailed section onjudicial corruption and pending court cases— marking a major shift in how the subject is taught to students.
The revised chapter, titled“The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society,”goes beyond the traditional explanation of court structures and access to justice. It now outlines some of thekey challenges facing India’s justice system, such as corruption at different levels of the judiciary and themassive backlog of pending casesin various courts.
The textbook lists approximate figures for case pendency, citing roughly81,000 cases in the Supreme Court,6.24 million in the High Courts, and around47 million in district and subordinate courts. It also explains the reasons behind delays — including a shortage of judges, complex legal procedures and infrastructure limitations — which contribute to a slower justice delivery process.
In its section on corruption, the book highlights that judges are bound by acode of conductand refers to internal accountability mechanisms such as theCentralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), which handles complaints against judicial conduct. It further explains the constitutional provision forremoval of judges by Parliament through impeachmentin case of serious misconduct.
The updated curriculum also includes quotations from legal experts and former judges, such as former Chief Justice of IndiaB.R. Gavai, to illustrate how instances of judicial misconduct can affect public confidence in the institution. Efforts to build trust through transparency and technological improvements are also mentioned.
However, the change has sparked controversy. Senior advocates, includingKapil Sibal, have criticised the inclusion, questioning why similar attention is not paid to corruption in other sectors. Meanwhile, theSupreme Court of Indiahas taken notice of the textbook content, with theChief Justice of Indiastating that the judiciary should not be defamed and expressing concerns over the portrayal of constitutional institutions.
As the revised textbook is expected to be adopted in schools soon, the new chapter is likely to fuel broader discussions on how complex civic issues should be introduced to students and how educational content is balanced with sensitivity towards key national institutions.
