Months after the National Council of Educational Research and Training withdrew a social science textbook after criticism from the Supreme Court”, the educational body has released a revised edition, in which it has removed references to “corruption in the judiciary”, PTI reported.
The sections on “Challenges Faced by the Judicial System” and “Corruption in the Judiciary”, have been removed entirely, PTI reported.
While the mention of “judicial backlog” and references to two major court cases have been dropped, new material on public interest litigation, tribunals and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms has been added to the revised textbook.
The updated chapter on the judiciary describes it as an “impartial and independent institution” that safeguards citizens’ rights and upholds the spirit of the Constitution, the Deccan Herald reported.
The NCERT has also made changes to the opening section at the beginning of the chapter, titled “Big Questions”. While in the withdrawn textbook it asked students why an independent judiciary is necessary, the revised one asks why justice is important for a “just and harmonious society”, the news agency reported.
The NCERT’s Class 8 social science textbook included a section on “corruption in the judiciary”, citing former Chief Justice BR Gavai as acknowledging instances of “corruption and misconduct” within the judicial system.
The chapter also detailed a “massive backlog” of cases in Indian courts due to “shortage of judges, complex procedures and poor infrastructure.”
In February this year, the Supreme Court took suo moto cognisance of the matter and banned the publication and re-printing of the textbook, saying that it contained “offending” content. It also directed the Union government and state education departments to ensure that all copies of the book, printed or digital, are removed from public access.
The revised textbook acknowledges that the chapter on the judiciary has been “rewritten” by an expert committee in compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court.
The revised edition lists 48 members as part of its development team as opposed to 51 members in the withdrawn textbook. The names of Michel Danino, Suparna Diwakar and Alok Prasanna Kumar, the three people who were initially held responsible for the chapter, have been dropped from the team.
Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.
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