Noting that orders have already been passed in a suo motu case in a number of NCERT textbooks, Chief Justice Kant verbally observed that people have a right to their opinion on Supreme Court judgments. | Photo credit: Sushil Kumar Verma
The Supreme Court on Friday (March 20, 2026) disposed of a plea raising concerns over the earlier edition of the NCERT Class 8 Social Science textbook, which was criticized for its commentary on Supreme Court judgments, particularly the verdict on slum dwellers.
Noting that orders have already been passed in a suo motu case in a number of NCERT textbooks, Chief Justice Kant verbally observed that people have a right to their opinion on Supreme Court judgments.
The president of the court also pointed out that the subject edition of the textbook balanced the criticism by emphasizing the meaningful interventions of the Supreme Court in the past.
The petition, filed by Pankaj Pushkar, drew attention to a note in the book about “recent judgments which tend to view ‘slum dwellers as encroachers of the city’.”
“It’s a look at the verdict. That’s a healthy criticism. Why should the judiciary be oversensitive to it?” The CJI asked the counsel for the petitioner.
The CJI said the content also detailed the structure of the judiciary, its functioning, its achievements, etc.
“He then says that there are also court judgments which people believe are working against the best interests of the common people…This is the view of the judgment. People have the right to criticize our judgments,” the Bench said.
Published – 20 March 2026 23:34 IST
