Out-of-syllabus bits in school syllabus

It's unwise to bite the hand that decides your fate in court. GoI, specifically NCERT, responsible for contents of its latest social sciences textbook, 'Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Vol II', found itself in hot water after the Supreme Court found a section, 'Corruption in the Judiciary', not just an assault to the judiciary's reputation but a 'deep-rooted conspiracy' to inculcate in the minds of school-going 13-14-yr-olds ideas that could leave them prejudiced forever. The removal of all copies of the book from public access thereby ensures that alleged shortcomings in the judiciary are kept out of sight, and out of impressionable minds.

For the rest of us who are not school-goers, judicial corruption is a concern. Former CJI B R Gavai had stated in July 2025: 'Sadly, there have been instances of corruption and misconduct that have surfaced even within the judiciary. Such occurrences inevitably have a negative impact on public confidence, potentially eroding faith in the integrity of the system as a whole,' a quote that finds its way in the NCERT textbook. The blanket ban by a 3-judge bench led by CJI Surya Kant is, thankfully, limited to the Class 8 textbook.

One can presume that at that age, curious as they may be, youngsters will be protected from such warts-and-all news and notions freely available on various platforms. For a student, a textbook has the quality of a testament to it. And appearance of such unsavoury information, valid as it may be, in a government textbook, can be construed as an indictment - in other words, political motive - that young learners can do without. Outside the school syllabus, of course, it would be most effective to weed out purported malpractices, rather than simply put a lid on them.