The controversy over the newly released NCERT Class 8 book on corruption in the judiciary and the huge pending cases in Indian courts has drawn significant attention.
Supreme Court of India (Image Source: Internet)
New Delhi: Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi brought the issue of the NCERT Class 8 book before the CJI Court. The NCERT book, titled The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society, examines judicial corruption and structural challenges affecting courts in India.
The chapter identifies "corruption at various levels" as a key concern and lists systemic barriers to justice delivery, including a large case backlog. It states that the Supreme Court of India has about 81,000 pending cases, while the High Courts together have roughly 6.24 million cases awaiting resolution. District and subordinate courts account for about 47 million pending cases.
Responding to the senior advocates, Chief Justice of India Justice Suryakant took a serious view of the matter. When Sibal requested the CJI to consider whether the Court would take suo motu notice of the issue, the CJI replied, “Wait for a day. This is definitely concerning the entire institution.”
The book also quotes former Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, who said during a July 2025 hearing that corruption and misconduct harm public confidence. “However, the path to rebuilding this trust lies in the swift, decisive, and transparent action taken to address and resolve these issues. Transparency and accountability are democratic virtues,” he added. The Government has not responded to the matter till this moment.
