New Delhi: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has withdrawn its newly released Class 8 Social Science textbook from sale a day after concerns were raised over a section titled “corruption in the judiciary”, Education Ministry sources confirmed on Wednesday, the Indian Express reports.The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed strong concern over the reference in the new textbook, with Chief Justice of India Surya Kant describing the move as a “calculated and deep-rooted” attempt to defame the institution, legal news site Bar & Bench reported.BREAKING: Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal: NCERT is teaching class 8 students about judicial corruption. This is a matter of grave concern. We are here for the bar.CJI Surya Kant: Please wait for a few days. Bar and Bench all are perturbed. All HC judges are perturbed. I will take… pic.twitter.com/583gO0AIEG— Bar and Bench (@barandbench) February 25, 2026According to News18, the Chief Justice said he would not allow anyone to defame or question the judiciary’s integrity and indicated that he may take suo motu cognisance of the matter. “I know how to deal with it. It seems to be a calculated measure,” he observed in court.The issue was raised by senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who described the inclusion of “judicial corruption” in the textbook for young students as disturbing and selective.India Today reported that Sibal told the court senior members of the bar were “very disturbed” that Class 8 students were being taught about corruption in the judiciary. Singhvi argued that the reference singled out one institution, and asked why there was no mention of corruption among politicians, ministers or bureaucrats.The Hindu reported that the Chief Justice, visibly annoyed, referred to the textbook’s content as a “tentatively calculated, deep-rooted attempt” to target the institution. He said both advocates and judges were perturbed and that he had received numerous calls, including from High Court judges.“I will not allow anybody to defame the institution. Law will take its course,” he said, adding that he had already taken cognisance of the issue.Also read: NCERT Drops Chapters on Periodic Table, Challenges to Democracy From Class 10 TextbooksJustice Joymalya Bagchi, who was also on the bench, indicated that the reference in the schoolbook raised concerns relating to constitutional integrity and the principle of separation of powers, which forms part of the Basic Structure doctrine, according to the Hindu.The controversy centres on a revised Social Science textbook with a chapter titled “The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society”. As initially reported by the Indian Express on Tuesday, the new edition of this book lists “corruption at various levels of the judiciary” and a “massive backlog” of cases as challenges for the judicial system.It cites reasons such as a shortage of judges, complex legal procedures and inadequate infrastructure, and suggests those reasons contribute to the public perception that justice is not being delivered.NDTV reported that the chapter provides data on pending cases – approximately 81,000 in the Supreme Court, over 6 million (60 lakh) in high courts and more than 40 million (4 crore) in district and subordinate courts. The section notes that judges are bound by a code of conduct governing their behaviour within and outside courtrooms, and refers to internal accountability mechanisms, including complaint procedures.The textbook also quoted former Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, who said in July 2025 that instances of corruption and misconduct have a negative impact on public confidence and that trust can be rebuilt through swift and transparent action, NDTV reported.On Wednesday, the Indian Express reported, citing sources in the Ministry of Education, that the book had been pulled from the market. It also reported that the textbook was no longer available at the publications division counter in the NCERT campus in Delhi.Also read: Preamble Dropped from Some NCERT TextbooksOver the last few years, NCERT has made news often for controversial deletions (and some additions) in course material, such as removing references to the greenhouse effect, the weather, climate systems and water (also climate change) from Class 7 textbooks. More recently,In 2025, Tipu Sultan, Nur Jahan and Razia Sultan were deleted from the history chapters for Class 8 NCERT students, along with the Anglo-Mysore wars. In response to a question raised in parliament, MoS Education, Jayant Chaudhary said at the time:Education being a subject in the concurrent list of the Constitution and the majority of schools being under the jurisdiction of the state governments, the respective state government may adopt or adapt NCERT textbooks or develop their own textbooks based on the National Curriculum Framework. The states have flexibility to provide more coverage about regional personalities and events in their textbooks.Apart from state boards of examination, schools affiliated with the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations follow their own prescribed textbooks and syllabus frameworks. State open schooling systems are also free to choose their own syllabus, as are schools affiliated to international boards. However, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is one of the largest boards in the country, and affiliated schools must follow the NCERT textbooks.NCERT textbooks also form the core of what many other schools, even unaffiliated to CBSE, include in or exclude from their courses. However, with NCERT chapters (especially for social science subjects) changing rapidly, curricular asymmetry might expand across schools, as the minister’s response indicated.It is in this context – of NCERT’s reach – that the present case is significant. Bar leaders sought deletion of the reference to judicial corruption, arguing that the institution was being singled out, which would undermine institutional credibility.