Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi. File | Photo credit: ANI
Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Friday (March 13, 2026) termed the Supreme Court’s latest directions on a Class 8 textbook chapter referring to “corruption in the judiciary” as “judicial overreach”. She urged the government to ensure that all three branches of governance – legislative, executive and judicial – remain equal under the law and open to scrutiny.
Last month, the Supreme Court imposed a blanket ban on a Class 8 social studies textbook published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) that contained a controversial chapter. On Wednesday (March 11), the court expressed displeasure with what it termed a “laconic” affidavit submitted by the NCERT. It then ordered the education body to “disassociate itself” from the three-member textbook development team that drafted the chapter and banned members from any future role funded in whole or in part by public money.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Ms Chaturvedi said the judges’ initial decision to ban the chapter was understandable if they felt unfairly targeted. “Up until then, we felt it was fine,” she said. “But the matter did not end there. The parties involved kept pushing it further, saying that if someone criticizes on social media, the Supreme Court will intervene.”
Editorial | Selective outrage: on the Supreme Court and the NCERT textbook
She noted that NCERT had already apologized but the punitive guidelines continued. Citing the example of the alleged corruption of Judge Yashwant Varma, she said that allegations of corruption across public institutions, from politicians to the police and bureaucracy, are routinely investigated and the judiciary should not be an exception. “…but the judiciary is so sensitive when talking about corruption…whereas there was an impeachment motion against a high court judge.”
Last March, burnt cash was discovered in an outhouse associated with Justice Varma, then a judge of the Delhi High Court, prompting an inquiry ordered by the then Chief Justice of India. The judge was later transferred to the Allahabad High Court. A notification for his removal, proposed by the opposition, remains pending in the Rajya Sabha.
Published – 13 March 2026 19:45 IST
