New Delhi, Feb 24: For the first time, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has included a section on "corruption in the judiciary" in its revised Class 8 Social Science textbook, signaling a significant shift from earlier editions that focused primarily on the structure and functions of the judiciary.
The new chapter, titled "The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society," expands beyond discussing the judicial hierarchy and access to justice, addressing key challenges such as corruption and case backlogs. It provides statistics on the overwhelming number of pending cases in the judiciary, including 81,000 cases in the Supreme Court, 62.4 million cases in High Courts, and 470 million cases in district and subordinate courts.
The section on corruption highlights the code of conduct that judges must adhere to, not only in court but also in their personal conduct outside it. The textbook outlines the judiciary’s internal accountability systems and references the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), through which over 1,600 complaints were filed between 2017 and 2021.
Additionally, the textbook explains the constitutional procedure for removing judges in serious cases, stating that Parliament can impeach a judge through a motion, but only after a fair inquiry. The book emphasizes that judges are given the opportunity to defend themselves during this process.
While acknowledging the serious issue of corruption in the judiciary, especially its impact on the poor and disadvantaged, the book also discusses ongoing efforts at both state and national levels to improve transparency and public trust. These efforts include using technology and taking swift action against corruption.
Quoting former Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, the book highlights the negative impact of judicial corruption on public trust. However, Gavai’s statement also stresses that rebuilding this trust requires decisive, transparent actions to address corruption and misconduct. "Transparency and accountability are democratic virtues," Gavai is quoted as saying in the textbook.
