Months after the National Council of Educational Research and Training withdrew a social science textbook following criticism from the Supreme Court, the educational body has released a revised edition that removes references to “corruption in the judiciary”, PTI reported.
The sections on “Challenges Faced by the Judicial System” and “Corruption in the Judiciary” have been removed entirely, PTI reported.
While the mention of judicial backlogs and references to two major court cases have also been dropped, new material on public interest litigation, tribunals and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms has been added to the revised textbook.
The updated chapter on the judiciary describes it as an “impartial and independent institution” that safeguards citizens’ rights and upholds the spirit of the Constitution, the Deccan Herald reported.
The NCERT has also made changes to the opening section, titled “Big Questions”. In the withdrawn textbook, it asked students why an independent judiciary is necessary. The revised one asks why justice is important for a “just and harmonious society”, the news agency reported.
The withdrawn textbook had cited former Chief Justice BR Gavai as acknowledging instances of “corruption and misconduct” in the judicial system.
The chapter also detailed a “massive backlog” of cases in Indian courts due to “shortage of judges, complex procedures and poor infrastructure”.
In February, the Supreme Court took suo moto…
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