Relevance: GS II (Judiciary & Governance) | Source: The Indian Express

1. What is the Big News?

The Supreme Court of India is very upset with the NCERT (the body that writes school books).

• The Reason: A Class 8 Social Science textbook recently included a section titled “Corruption in the Judiciary.”
• The Court’s Reaction: A bench led by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) called this a “calculated attempt” to reduce the respect students have for the courts.
• The Immediate Action: The Supreme Court has banned the printing, sale, and even the online (PDF) distribution of this specific textbook.

2. Why is this a Problem for Democracy?

To understand this for your UPSC preparation, look at these simple logical points:

• The Role of Schools: Textbooks teach children how our country works. If a government-approved book shows a dark picture of the Judiciary (the protector of our rights), it can destroy the trust of future generations in the law.
• Separation of Powers: In India, the Government, the Parliament, and the Courts must respect each other. Demeaning the Courts in school books disturbs this Constitutional Balance.
• Failure of Checking: This incident shows that the expert review process at NCERT failed. Sensitive content was cleared and printed without a proper check by senior experts.

3. The Constitution and Judicial Dignity

Our Constitution has special rules to protect the dignity of our judges:

• No Casual Discussion: Under Articles 121 and 211, the behavior of a judge cannot be discussed in the Parliament or State Assemblies (unless there is a motion to remove that judge). This ensures judges can work without fear.
• Power to Punish: The Courts have the power of “Contempt of Court” to punish anyone who tries to lower their authority or spread lies about the justice system.

UPSC Value Box

With reference to the Indian Judiciary and Constitutional provisions, consider the following statements:

1. Articles 121 and 211 of the Constitution protect the conduct of Supreme Court and High Court judges from being discussed in the Parliament or State Legislatures under normal circumstances.
2. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is a statutory body established under an Act of Parliament to regulate higher education.
3. The Supreme Court has the power to initiate ‘Suo Motu’ proceedings to protect the dignity and sanctity of the judicial system.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: (b)