Supreme Court of India and NCERT textbook controversy

The Supreme Court recently took strong exception to a new NCERT textbook for Class 8 that included a section on “corruption in the judiciary.” The court termed it a “calculated attack” on the institution, leading to an apology from NCERT and the withdrawal of the book .

This observation by the Supreme Court has triggered widespread discussion on social media on the state of judiciary in the country, and their recent decisions whose justification is controversial.

Popular Incidences

Few incidences in the recent past which have been part of discussion on social media are listed below.

Incident 1

Name of Judge/Official: Justice Yashwant Varma
Court/Institution: Allahabad High Court (formerly Delhi High Court)
Allegation/Incident: Large amount of unaccounted cash found at his official residence in Delhi after a fire in March 2025 .
Current Status (as of Feb 2026): Impeachment proceedings initiated; under investigation by a Lok Sabha inquiry committee.

Incident 2

Name of Judge/Official: Judicial Member (name not specified)
Court/Institution: Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), Jaipur
Allegation/Incident: Arrested by the CBI for allegedly settling appeals in exchange for bribes; ₹30 lakh was recovered from her official car.
Current Status (as of Feb 2026): Arrested on November 26, 2025; investigation underway.

Incident 3

Name of Judge/Official: Sudhir Parmar
Court/Institution: Special Judge (CBI/PMLA), Punjab
Allegation/Incident: Accused of receiving illegal gratification of ₹5 to 7 crore for extending undue favours to real estate groups in a money laundering case.
Current Status (as of Feb 2026): Criminal case registered by ACB in 2023; he was suspended. Petition to quash FIR is pending in High Court.

Statement by former CJI

Former Chief Justice of India BR Gavai has publicly cautioned that judges accepting government posts immediately after retirement can raise “significant ethical concerns” and erode public trust, as it may create a perception of bias during their tenure.

Remarks

Though delivery of fair justice requires immunity for the judges, running away from reality will not help in any way.