NCERT Class 9 book describes judiciary as ‘impartial and independent’

THe young division 9 school text describes the judicature as an “impartial and main(a) institution” that safeguards citizens’ rights and upholds the spirit of the Constitution. Under a section titled ‘Separation of Powers’ in a chapter on democracy, the textbook highlights that the judiciary takes Public Interest Litigation (PIL) “from time to time to ensure access to justice for all”.The new textbook talks about various functions of judiciary, stating that the judiciary reviews executive actions and constitutional amendments, can invalidate unconstitutional laws, “upholds the Constitution”, and “plays a vital role in protecting and promoting democratic values and the rights of all sections of the society.”Also read: NCERT Class 9 book adds Emergency, drops Preamble and SecularismIn the earlier NCERT Class 9 political science textbook, the judiciary was discussed in the chapter Working of Institutions as part of India’s constitutional design. Students were taught that an “independent and powerful judiciary” was essential to democracy and that courts must remain free from the control of the executive and legislature. The chapter explained that judges do not function under government directions, highlighted safeguards in judicial appointments and removal, and described the judiciary’s role in resolving disputes and checking arbitrary exercise of power.In February, a controversy broke out over NCERT’s social science textbook for Class 8 part 2 which included a section on “corruption in the judiciary” in a chapter. After the Supreme Court’s intervention, the physical and digital copies of the textbook were taken down, and NCERT also issued an apology.On March 11, the Supreme Court directed the Centre, states, union territories and educational institutions to disassociate from three experts – Michel Danino, Suparna Diwakar and Alok Prasanna Kumar – involved in preparing the chapter. However, on May 22, the court modified that order, accepting the experts’ explanation that the textbook was a collective exercise and that there was no intention to portray the judiciary negatively.Following the controversy, the Ministry of Education on March 16 constituted an oversight committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Indu Malhotra, with former attorney general K.K. Venugopal and vice-chancellor Prakash Singh as members. The Centre also associated the head of the National Judicial Academy with the revision of curricula for Class 8 and higher classes. Separately, NCERT reconstituted its National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC) to oversee syllabus and textbook development for Classes 3 to 12, while revising its terms of reference to give NCERT formal authority to approve, publish and distribute textbooks.The new Class 9 social science textbook was prepared before the controversy broke out.