New Delhi

The revised Class 8 Social Science textbook of the National Council of Educational Research and Training, which was withdrawn earlier following objections raised by the Supreme Court of India over content related to the judiciary, is likely to be released within the next week, sources in the Ministry of Education said.

According to officials, the updated edition has already been cleared by an expert committee set up by NCERT to examine and revise the controversial chapter dealing with the judicial system. The textbook is now awaiting final approval from NCERT’s syllabus committee, which is expected to meet shortly.

Sources indicated that once the final clearance is granted, printing of the revised book will begin later this week, making it available to students and schools soon thereafter.

The development comes at a time when delays in the supply of NCERT textbooks have begun affecting students, with the new academic session having commenced on April 1.

The original Class 8 Social Science book, Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part II), was withdrawn in March after the Supreme Court ordered an immediate halt on its publication, reprinting, and digital circulation over certain references to corruption in the judiciary.

The apex court had described portions of the chapter on the judiciary as objectionable and observed that the content had the potential to harm the credibility of the institution.

Following the court’s observations, NCERT issued an unconditional apology, acknowledging that the chapter titled “The Role of Judiciary in Our Society” contained inappropriate material. The council also confirmed that the textbook had been completely withdrawn from circulation.

The Supreme Court had subsequently directed the Centre to form an expert panel to review and finalise curriculum material relating to legal studies in school textbooks, while also cautioning against the spread of inaccurate or misleading educational content through digital platforms.

In compliance with the directions, the Centre informed the court that a panel of subject experts had been constituted to rewrite the chapter.

Separately, NCERT has also reconstituted its 20-member National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC), which will oversee curriculum development for Classes 8 and above.

The newly formed panel includes senior academicians such as V Kamakoti, Raghuvendra Tanwar, R Venkata Rao, and Amarendra Prasad Behera.

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Meanwhile, three former members—Michel Danino, Bibek Debroy, and M D Srinivas—have been removed from the committee in the aftermath of the controversy.