No intention to insult judiciary, will take action, says Pradhan on NCERT book row

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, on Thursday, February 26, 2026, while expressing regret over the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) removing a chapter on ‘corruption’ in the judiciary from the Class 8 textbook, vowed to rectify accountability and take action against those who played a role in drafting the controversial chapter.

SC hearing updates | Supreme Court orders blanket ban on NCERT textbook containing chapter on ‘corruption’ in judiciary

He underlined that the government fully respects the judiciary and does not intend to disrespect the institution.

“I am very sorry for what happened… There was no intention to insult the judiciary. An investigation will be conducted and held accountable. Action will be taken against those who contributed to the preparation of the chapter. As soon as we received information (about it), the distribution of textbooks was stopped,” Mr. Pradhan said in Jamshedpur.

“We have full respect for the judiciary and take the matter very seriously. The court’s directions will be followed,” he added.

These remarks came on a day when the Supreme Court observed the existence of a “well-planned conspiracy” to defame the judiciary and imposed a “total ban” on Class 8 books and ordered the seizure of all copies, both physical and digital.

A day after NCERT apologized for “inappropriate content” in the social science textbook, a Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant said, “They have fired the gun. The judiciary is bleeding” and said the book would be rewritten in consultation with appropriate authorities.

The Bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, issued show cause notices to the NCERT director and the secretary of the school education department and asked them to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against those responsible.

In the social sciences textbook in question, it is stated that corruption, backlog of cases and lack of sufficient number of judges are among the difficulties faced by the judicial system.

Following the Supreme Court’s harsh words that it would not allow “anyone in the world” to undermine the integrity of the judiciary, NCERT removed the textbook from its website; sources said the government was angered by controversial references in the syllabus.

After facing the Supreme Court’s ire over this chapter, NCERT on Wednesday apologized for “inappropriate content” and said the book would be rewritten in consultation with appropriate authorities.