Supreme Court of India Bans NCERT Textbook Chapter

The India===Supreme Court of India has imposed a blanket ban on a chapter in a Class 8 social science textbook published by the India===National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), which discussed corruption in the judiciary. The court ordered the immediate seizure of all physical copies and removal of digital formats, calling the chapter a 'deep-rooted, well-planned conspiracy' to tarnish the judiciary's reputation. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, leading the bench, issued show-cause notices to the Director of NCERT, Dinesh Prasad Saklani, and the Secretary in the India===Ministry of Education (India)'s Department of School Education, demanding accountability. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta tendered an unconditional apology on behalf of the India===Ministry of Education (India), but the court expressed dissatisfaction with NCERT's initial response, which lacked an explicit apology. The India===Supreme Court of India has initiated suo motu proceedings and demanded detailed records of the Teaching-Learning Materials Committee that approved the chapter. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on March 11, with the court emphasizing that accountability will be fixed.