Behind the Supreme Court's tough words and a blanket ban on the NCERT book with a controversial chapter on judiciary were two days of frenetic activity through which a copy of the book was arranged for Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, and the opinion of all judges of the top court was sought regarding the action necessary in this case.
Chief Justice Spots The Problem
Top sources in the Supreme Court have told NDTV that the Chief Justice of India was surprised to read about the contents of the NCERT book in a newspaper report published on Tuesday. The report in The Indian Express included a section on "corruption in the judiciary" in the chapter, "The role of the judiciary in our society".
The Chief Justice, sources said, immediately asked the Supreme Court registry to arrange a copy of the book. This was easier said than done. As the government has now told the court, only 32 copies of the book had reached the market, so this was a needle-in-a-haystack situation.
Karol Bagh To Judges' Coffee Table
A senior officer of the registry knew a bookseller in central Delhi's Karol Bagh. This store had not received a copy of the book, but had a sample that was published earlier. The senior officer got this sample for the Chief Justice.
The registry then officially reached out to the NCERT and sought a copy of the book. By Tuesday evening, the copy had reached the registry with a communication by the NCERT director. The Chief Justice, it is learnt, went through the problematic contents, but wanted the opinion of fellow judges. The next morning, he brought the book to the judges' coffee meeting and sought their opinion. The response was unanimous: the court must act.
The Suo Motu Move
Hours after the coffee meeting, the Chief Justice expressed his strong displeasure over the book's contents after senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi flagged them. "Wait for a day. This is definitely concerning the entire institution. The Bar and the Bench are perturbed. Every stakeholder in the system is really disturbed. I am receiving a lot of calls and messages," he said.
"I will not allow anyone on earth to taint the integrity of the institution and defame the institution. At any cost, I will not permit it. Whosoever high it may be, the law will take its course. I know how to deal with it," he added. The court later said it will hear the matter suo motu.
NCERT Damage Control
With the court taking note, the NCERT temporarily halted the distribution of the newly released Social Science textbook for Class 8. This was done after the Department of School Education and Literacy directed that distribution be kept on hold until further review.
A senior official said, "It has been observed that certain inappropriate textual material and an error of judgement have inadvertently crept into the concerned chapter."
"NCERT reiterates that the objective of the new textbooks is to strengthen constitutional literacy, institutional respect, and informed understanding of democratic participation amongst students. There is no intent to question or diminish the authority of any constitutional body," he said.
Court's Fierce Action
In a tough action, the court today imposed a blanket ban on the book and ordered seizure of all physical copies and a takedown of digital versions.
Stressing the need for a deeper probe, the court said that if allowed to go unchecked, such developments will erode people's faith in the judiciary. "No one will be allowed to go scot-free. It is my duty as the head of the institution to find out who is responsible; heads must roll," the Chief Justice of India said.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the two individuals responsible for referring to 'corruption in the judiciary' would "never work with the UGC or any ministry". But the Chief Justice was unimpressed. "That is of very little consequence. They fired a gunshot, and the judiciary is bleeding today," he said.
