The apex court also ordered the seizure of all physical and digital copies of the textbook. The court banned any further publication or distribution of the book containing the "offending chapter" on the judiciary in both physical and digital formats.

Considering the suo motu case, a Bench led by the CJI said there was "not a single word of apology" in NCERT's initial communication and that the body had instead sought to justify the content. The court expressed shock that the chapter could create an impression among students that the Indian judiciary was corrupt and ineffective.

"It is my duty to find out who is responsible; heads must roll," the CJI observed, adding that the framers of the Constitution had consciously demarcated the roles of the legislature, executive and judiciary to preserve democratic balance and institutional autonomy. "By acknowledging these constitutional demarcations, we were nearly shocked when a leading newspaper reported the release of this textbook," he said.

Describing the episode as a "calculated move", the CJI said the narrative would first influence teachers, then students and eventually parents, thereby eroding public trust in the justice system. "They fired the gunshot; the judiciary is bleeding today," he remarked when told that action had been taken against the authors of the chapter.

Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta tendered an unconditional and unqualified apology on behalf of the Ministry of Education and assured the court that the two individuals who drafted the contentious portions would not be associated with any work for the University Grants Commission or the ministry in future. The Bench, however, said merely removing individuals would allow them to "go scot-free" and insisted on a deeper probe into how the material was cleared for publication.

"While the publication dedicates an entire chapter on role of judiciary in our society, it washes away the illustrious history of SC, HC and trial courts, it is omitted and the role played by the institution towards preservation of democratic fabric, the text fails to recognise the role of judiciary, which upheld the basic structure doctrine," the court observed.

The Supreme Court directed that all copies of the textbook, whether in physical or digital form, be immediately removed from schools, retail outlets, and any other public access platforms. The court emphasised that no teaching or instruction should be conducted using the book until further notice.

"A compliance report to be filed. It will be the responsibility of director NCERT to effectuate the immediate seizure of all such books sent to the premises of such schools and submit a compliance report. We direct that no instruction is imparted based on the physical or digital copy of the subject book. Principal secretaries of Department of Education of all states are directed to comply with directions issued here in and submit a compliance report within 2 weeks," it said.

The court's observations came hours after the National Council of Educational Research and Training withdrew the distribution of the Class 8 Social Science textbook Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Vol. II, released on February 24, following objections to Chapter 4 titled The Role of Judiciary in our Society. NCERT said "inappropriate textual material" had been included due to an "error of judgement" and that the book had been put on hold on directions from the Department of School Education and Literacy under the Ministry of Education.

In a statement, NCERT said it held the judiciary "in the highest esteem" as the guardian of the Constitution and fundamental rights, and that there was no intent to diminish the authority of any constitutional body. The council said the chapter would be rewritten in consultation with "appropriate authorities" and reissued for the 2026-27 academic session.

(With inputs from Bar and Bench, PTI)