Days after the Supreme Court heard a suo motu case and announced a complete ban on the reprinting and digital dissemination of a Class 8 Social Science textbook over a controversial section, the NCERT has tendered an unconditional public apology to the court, stating that the entire book has been withdrawn and is not available to the general public. The apology follows the show-cause notice that was sent to the NCERT Director and the Union Education Ministry Secretary, asking why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for including 'Corruption in the Judiciary' in the latest textbooks.

The official tweet by NCERT reads, "The National Council of Educational Research and Training [NCERT] has recently published a social science textbook, ‘Exploring Society: India and Beyond,’ Grade 8 (Part II), which contained Chapter IV titled ‘The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society.’ The Director and Members of NCERT hereby tender an unconditional and unqualified apology for the said Chapter IV. The entire book has been withdrawn and is not available.”

"We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate the understanding of all stakeholders. NCERT remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of accuracy, sensitivity, and responsibility in educational content," it added.

NCERT's Public Apology (Source X)

The issue arose when the Supreme Court took serious note of NCERT's 'Corruption in the Judiciary' section, which, according to the top court, had a skewed representation of the judiciary. Hearing the suo motu case, CJI Kant said that students have just started to navigate the nuances of life, and at this age, it is 'fundamentally wrong' to expose them to distorted notions. “There is a need to appreciate the manifold and onerous responsibilities of the judiciary,” he said, according to reports.

“We have to keep in mind that the subject book will not remain confined to students only; the contents are bound to travel from students and teachers to parents, including the next generation. It may have a lasting impact on judicial independence. Such misconduct falls within criminal contempt, and if it proves to be deliberate, it will amount to scandalising the institution and bringing it into disrepute,” he added, as per the reports.

Afterwards, NCERT tried retrieving 38 copies of the withdrawn part 2 books that were sold. According to the reports, out of the 2.25 lakh copies that were printed, only 38 were sold while 224,962 remained in stock.

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