New Delhi, 11 March (H.S.): The Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant ordered the removal from official duties of three individuals—Professor Michel Danino, Divakar, and Alok Prasanna Kumar—responsible for including a chapter on judicial corruption in NCERT's Class 8 textbook.

The court condemned the content for either lacking knowledge or deliberately portraying the judiciary negatively to impressionable eighth-graders, stating: Either these persons lack sufficient knowledge about the judiciary or have intentionally misrepresented it. It halted the book on February 26, deeming it a deep conspiracy to defame the institution.

Previously, the court mandated NCERT and the Centre to seize all copies—physical and digital—barring public access, with non-compliance risking contempt charges. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi raised the issue on February 25, prompting CJI's firm stance against tarnishing the judiciary.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar