Prime Minister seeks accountability over controversial NCERT content on judiciary ‘corruption’; Education Minister assures strict action.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed officials to fix accountability over the controversy surrounding the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)’s Class 8 Social Science textbook, which contains references to “corruption” in the judiciary. Government sources said the Prime Minister has asked authorities to examine the matter thoroughly and identify those responsible.

Supreme Court orders halt on reprint and digital circulation; Centre seeks accountability

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Meanwhile, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday (February 26, 2026) said the government will conduct a detailed inquiry into the issue. He assured that responsibility will be determined and appropriate action will be taken against officials found accountable.

The Education Ministry has also written to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, seeking steps to halt the circulation of the controversial textbook across digital platforms and media.

The disputed section in the newly introduced Social Science textbook triggered widespread criticism earlier this week. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant took suo motu cognisance of the issue, describing the content as a “selective reference”. Within a day of its release, NCERT withdrew the textbook from distribution.

Soon after the Supreme Court took up the matter, NCERT issued a statement expressing regret and apologising for the “inappropriate textual material” and the “error in judgement” that had appeared in the chapter.

Speaking to reporters in Jharkhand while the Supreme Court was hearing the case, Mr. Pradhan said he was “deeply saddened” by the development and reiterated that there was no intention to show disrespect to the judiciary. He said the book was withdrawn immediately after the matter came to the government’s notice, adding that the government holds the judiciary in the highest regard.

The Minister further stated that an inquiry would determine how the content was included in the textbook and that strict action would follow. He also affirmed that the government would fully comply with the Supreme Court’s directions.

The chapter, titled ‘The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society’, lists corruption, a huge backlog of cases, and shortage of judges as among the challenges facing the judicial system. It also mentions that judges are bound by a code of conduct governing their behaviour both inside and outside the courtroom.

On Thursday morning, while hearing the suo motu case, the Supreme Court ordered a complete ban on reprinting and digital circulation of the book. The court also directed authorities to seize distributed copies and submit a compliance report.

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