The government formed this three-member group to review and rewrite the Class 8 judiciary chapter after the Supreme Court got involved in the problem with the way it was written. Before the chapter is used again, the group will make sure it is accurate, balanced, and meets all requirements.
Centre Constitutes Expert Panel After Supreme Court Intervention
Tushar Mehta, the Solicitor General, told a panel of judges led by the Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant, that the committee will be made up of K.K. Venugopal, a former Attorney General, Justice Indu Malhotra and Justice Aniruddha Bose, both former Supreme Court judges, and one university vice-chancellor to provide academic understanding.
The government says the group has people with knowledge of the courts, academics, and the profession, just as the Court asked. They will review the chapter before it is printed or put on the internet in its new version, to deal with the problems caused by the issues with the textbook previously.
Composition of the Committee and Its Mandate
The committee will probably go through the chapter sentence by sentence, check the facts, and see if the way it’s written is neutral. They will also confirm NCERT followed its own procedures, that approvals were open, and that the content follows the principles of the Constitution while teaching young students about the justice system.
Justice Aniruddha Bose is currently in charge of the National Judicial Academy, and this adds a lot of experience to the work. The government said that the people on the committee are what the Court wanted: a former top judge, a well-known academic, and a respected lawyer.
Background: Suo Motu Proceedings and Book Withdrawal
The Supreme Court decided on its own (suo motu) to look at a Class and Social Studies textbook called ‘Exploring Society: India and Beyond’, which had parts about supposed corruption and cases taking too long in the courts. The Court said this content could potentially harm the reputation of the court system.
As a result, the Court immediately ordered the book to be removed, all physical copies to be collected, and all digital copies to be taken down. NCERT formally apologized and said the book had been removed and the public could no longer get it.
A few days later, the Court (Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi) completely prohibited the book from being reprinted or shared digitally. They also issued ‘show cause’ notices to the head of NCERT and the Union Education Secretary, asking them to explain why they shouldn’t be held in contempt of court.
Court’s Observations on Process and Accountability
On March 11th, the Court gave a detailed explanation of its decision criticizing how the chapter was written and distributed. They noted the material had not been presented to the National Syllabus and Teaching-Learning Material Committee (NSTC), the important group within NCERT that oversees what is taught.
The Court said that the three people who wrote the chapter should not work on making textbooks or developing the curriculum for government schools. They said the way the chapter was first shared digitally with only some people, the lack of approval, and the poor internal checks at NCERT were all serious mistakes.
However, the Court also said it doesn’t want to stop people from legitimately criticizing the judiciary. They said it’s good to have experts look at things carefully, but they warned against writing things in a way that unfairly influences students.
Related Petition and Judicial Approach to Viewpoints
While listening to a different case about a sentence in an older Class 8 textbook describing people in slums as illegal occupants, the Court didn’t get involved. The Court said the sentence was someone’s opinion about court decisions and didn’t need its intervention.
Because the textbook is being replaced, the Court dismissed the case. This shows the Court’s difference between acceptable comments and content that could damage the respect for the court system in school curriculums.
Implications for Curriculum Governance and Policy
This situation will likely change how curriculums are managed at NCERT. The Court has asked the government to look at who is on the NSTC and consider adding experts in their field, particularly respected legal scholars, when teaching about the judiciary in schools.
The National Judicial Academy may also be involved in developing the material for learning about law, meaning a closer link between the courts and those creating the curriculum. We can expect to have strong control over what gets used, official records of approvals, and clear standards for who writes the material.
Right now, NCERT’s most important task is to finish the independent review that the Supreme Court has asked for. Before the Class 8 chapter on the judiciary is used again, the committee must review it and give their official approval before it is used in the next school year.
What Schools and Parents Should Expect
Currently, the book that was removed is completely banned from being reprinted or put on the internet. Schools should only use materials that have been approved and should not use unapproved drafts or files from the internet.
Parents and teachers can look forward to a revised chapter that has been carefully checked, explains how the court system works, acknowledges its problems without taking sides, and helps students become good citizens. The work of the expert committee will set the standard for how this is done for Class log_level_8 students.
