NCERT revises Class 8 social science textbook after SC row; judiciary chapter rewritten

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has revised the Class 8 social science textbooks after the Supreme Court directed it to withdraw its earlier edition over a section on "corruption in the judiciary."

According to the Hindustan Times report, in addition to rewriting portions of the chapter, the new edition features a redesigned cover. The updated cover gives visual emphasis on the Supreme Court, while several personalities and monuments that appeared on the earlier cover have been removed.

The earlier cover gave relatively equal visual importance to the Supreme Court, Parliament, national monuments, portraits of national leaders, and symbols of modern India.

The revised NCERT Class 8 social science textbook edition positions the Supreme Court at the top of the composition, making it the most dominant visual element. Meanwhile, the Parliament has been moved to the bottom of the design.

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NCERT: Revisions in Class 8 social science textbook

The redesigned cover of Class 8 NCERT textbooks also omits portraits of several prominent figures that appeared in the earlier edition, including Bhagat Singh, Mahatma Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Subhas Chandra Bose, Sarojini Naidu, Jawaharlal Nehru, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and Savitribai Phule, who were previously arranged across a world map.

Additionally, the representation of India's architectural heritage has also been revised. While the Konark Sun Temple remains on the cover, the Taj Mahal has been removed. India Gate features in the updated design, whereas the modern skyscrapers seen in the earlier edition have been omitted, reducing the emphasis on contemporary urban development.

Overall, the revised cover places greater emphasis on constitutional institutions, with the SC occupying the most prominent position at the top of the book and Parliament below it, marking a shift from the earlier design, which combined constitutional landmarks with icons of the freedom movement, cultural heritage and symbols of modern development.

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NCERT Class 8: Judiciary chapter re-written

Class 8 social science textbook also removes the discussions on "corruption in the judiciary", judicial backlog, and some landmark SC judgments. The new version has expanded the discussion on the SC’s constitutional role, Public Interest Litigation (PIL), tribunals, and alternative dispute resolution, the HT report adds.

NCERT has revised the "Big Questions" section at the start of the chapter. Rather than asking students to examine the need for an independent judiciary, the revised textbook encourages them to reflect on the importance of justice for a “harmonious society”.

After concerns were raised about ‘judiciary corruption’ content in the Class 8 textbook, the NCERT reconstituted a 20-member syllabus panel to prepare syllabus and teacher learning material for Class 8 and above.