India’s Supreme Court has acted swiftly to ban a school textbook, as it contains material critical of the country’s judiciary. The eighth grade social sciences book, Exploring Society: India and Beyond (vol. 2), was published by National Council of Educational Research and Training yesterday, and the Supreme Court’s strongly-worded verdict was issued today.
The book includes a chapter titled The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society, which states that “the judicial system in our country has a massive backlog.” It also outlines the potential penalties for corrupt judges, though it makes no assessmemt of the extent of judicial corruption.
The Supreme Court ruled that “a complete blanket ban is hereby imposed on any further publication, reprinting or digital dissemination of the book” with immediate effect. NCERT issued a press release noting that “it has been observed that certain inappropriate textual material and error of judgement have inadvertently crept into” the offending chapter.
Another Indian textbook, Enjoying Cursive Writing, was banned for blasphemy in 2010. The book Godman to Tycoon was banned in India in 2017 after a court injunction.
The book includes a chapter titled The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society, which states that “the judicial system in our country has a massive backlog.” It also outlines the potential penalties for corrupt judges, though it makes no assessmemt of the extent of judicial corruption.
The Supreme Court ruled that “a complete blanket ban is hereby imposed on any further publication, reprinting or digital dissemination of the book” with immediate effect. NCERT issued a press release noting that “it has been observed that certain inappropriate textual material and error of judgement have inadvertently crept into” the offending chapter.
Another Indian textbook, Enjoying Cursive Writing, was banned for blasphemy in 2010. The book Godman to Tycoon was banned in India in 2017 after a court injunction.