Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said accountability will be fixed after an inquiry over the controversial chapter on the judiciary.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday (February26, 2026) expressed anguish over the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) coming up with a chapter on ‘corruption’ in the judiciary in its Class 8 textbook, while promising to fix accountability and take action against those involved in drafting the controversial portion.
He underlined that the government has full respect for the judiciary and has no intent of disrespecting the institution.
“I am very sad at what has happened… There was no intention to insult the judiciary. An inquiry will be conducted and accountability fixed. Action will be taken against those involved in drafting the chapter. As soon as we got to know (about it), the circulation of the textbooks was put on hold,” Mr. Pradhan said in Jamshedpur.
“We have full respect for the judiciary, and we have taken the issue very seriously. The court’s directives will be complied with,” he added.
The remarks came on a day the Supreme Court observed that there appeared to be a “well-orchestrated conspiracy” to defame the judiciary and imposed a “complete blanket ban” on the Class 8 book and ordered that all copies, physical and digital, be seized.
“They have fired the gunshot. The judiciary is bleeding,” a Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant said, a day after the NCERT apologised for “inappropriate content” in the social science textbook and said it would be rewritten in consultation with appropriate authorities.
The Bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, issued show cause notices to the NCERT director and the secretary of the department of school education and asked them to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against those responsible.
The social science textbook in question states that corruption, a massive backlog of cases, and the lack of an adequate number of judges are among the challenges faced by the judicial system.
After stern words by the Supreme Court that it will not allow “anyone on earth” to tarnish the judiciary’s integrity, the NCERT removed the textbook from its website, with sources saying the government was livid with the controversial references in the curriculum.
The NCERT on Wednesday apologised for the “inappropriate content” after facing the Supreme Court’s ire over the chapter and said the book will be rewritten in consultation with appropriate authorities.
Published – February 26, 2026 04:23 pm IST
