NCERT Textbook for Class 8 Includes Discussion of Corruption in Judiciary, Pending Cases
New Delhi – A new Social Science textbook for Class 8, released by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Monday, February 24, 2026, includes a section addressing “corruption in the judiciary” and a “massive backlog” of cases as challenges facing the Indian legal system. This marks a shift from previous editions, which focused solely on the role and structure of the courts without mentioning issues of corruption, according to reporting from The Indian Express and NDTV.
Challenges Facing the Judiciary
The chapter highlights “corruption at various levels of the judiciary” and identifies several contributing factors to the significant case backlog, including “a lack of an adequate number of judges, complicated legal procedures, and poor infrastructure.”
Case Backlog Statistics
The textbook provides approximate figures for pending cases across different court levels:
- Supreme Court: 81,000 cases
- High Courts: 62,40,000 cases
- District and Subordinate Courts: 4,70,00,000 cases
Accountability and Grievance Mechanisms
The textbook details the judiciary’s internal mechanisms for accountability, noting that judges are governed by a code of conduct both inside and outside the courtroom. It also references the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), which received over 1,600 complaints between 2017 and 2021. The textbook explains that Parliament can remove a judge through a motion of impeachment following a proper inquiry.
Addressing Corruption and Maintaining Public Trust
The textbook acknowledges public concerns about corruption and emphasizes the need to build faith and increase transparency within the judicial system. It notes ongoing efforts at both the state and national levels, including the use of technology, to address corruption swiftly and decisively.
Supreme Court Observations on Corruption
The textbook includes a quote from former Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, from July 2025, stating that instances of corruption and misconduct erode public confidence in the judiciary. Gavai emphasized the importance of swift, decisive, and transparent action to address these issues and maintain the judiciary’s role as the ultimate arbiter of rights.
Case Studies: Electoral Bonds and the Information Technology Act
The textbook presents two case studies for students to discuss: the 2018 electoral bonds scheme and a clause added to the Information Technology Act, 2009.
- Electoral Bonds: The Supreme Court struck down the electoral bonds scheme as unconstitutional, asserting that voters have a right to know the funding sources of political parties.
- Information Technology Act: The Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a clause in the IT Act that allowed imprisonment for online posts, agreeing with a law student’s argument that it violated freedom of speech.
NCERT Textbook Revision
The new textbook is part of a broader revision of NCERT books for Classes 1 to 8, aligned with the National Education Policy, 2020, and the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for School Education. The first part of the Class 8 Social Science textbook was released in July of the previous year. Previous textbooks, based on the 2005 NCF, were “rationalised” and had their content load reduced following the COVID-19 pandemic.