Parmod Kumar

New Delhi, Feb 25 (.) The Supreme Court on Wednesday took strong exception to portions of a new Class 8 Social Science textbook issued by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), which reportedly carries a chapter referring to “corruption in the judiciary”.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the contents, Chief Justice Surya Kant heading a bench also comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi said, “As head of the institution. I have done my duty and I have taken cognizance. This seems to be a calculated move. I won’t say much.”

The issue was raised before the Bench by senior advocate Kapil Sibal in the course of mentioning at the start of the day, who expressed concern that school students were being taught about alleged corruption in the judiciary. The Chief Justice indicated that the Court would examine the matter on its own and would not permit any attempt to defame the institution.
He said that both Bar, bench including High Court judges are concerned over it.

Justice Joymalya Bagchi also expressed serious concern, observing that it was an attack on the basic structure of the Constitution. “The book seems to go against the basic structure itself,” he said.

According to a media report brought before the Court, the chapter discusses “corruption at various levels of the judiciary” as part of a lesson on the role of the judiciary in society. It also refers to challenges such as backlogs of cases and infrastructure issues.

Terming the attack as “selective”, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi pointed to other public institutions which are known for corruption, but corruption in the judiciary has been highlighted.
. XC RSA