Supreme Court

NCERT recalls Class 8 Social Science textbook after SC's objection

The NCERT on Friday issued an advisory asking anyone with copies of the banned class 8 textbook that had a chapter on "judicial corruption" be returned to the council headquarters. In a strongly worded advisory, the the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) also called for all social media posts that carry the chapter's content be deleted. The Union Ministry of Education on Thursday wrote to the ministries of information and broadcasting, and electronics, asking them to stop the dissemination of a controversial NCERT textbook through digital platforms and electronic media after the Supreme Court imposed a ban on the social science book. "Any individual or organisation in possession of the NCERT textbook 'Exploring society: India and Beyond', may return it to the (NCERT) headquarters. Any content related to the chapter 'role of judiciary in our society' if posted on social media or any digital platforms be deleted at the earliest possible," the advisory ...

India must confront the fiscal risks of an expanding freebie culture

As subsidies and cash transfers surge, the Supreme Court and Finance Commission warn that unchecked freebies risk straining state finances and long-term growth

Flex moves Supreme Court to overturn tribunal ruling in Xiaomi tax case

US-listed Flex told India's Supreme Court it did not help Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi to undervalue certain imports into India, the court filing showed

SC asks Centre, states to respond on PIL over fake complaints

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a PIL seeking direction to the Centre and state authorities to install display boards at all public institutions, such as police stations, court premises and municipal offices, on the legal consequences of lodging false complaints. A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi issued notices to the Centre and states and sought their response by April 20 on the plea filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay. Upadhyay, appearing in person, told the bench that there was a rise in lodging of false cases of rape, molestation or under the SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as there is no lawful measure against such actions. He submitted that there is a rise in false cases as people are not aware of legal consequences, and hence, display boards should be put at the public institutions like police stations, where the complainant should be made aware of the consequences for such actions. Chief Justice

Builder-buyer agreements fairer now, yet buyers must scrutinise fine print

Do not skip crucial provisions of the agreement that have a bearing on your interests

Pune Porsche accident: SC to hear bail plea filed by father of key accused

The Supreme Court on Thursday sought a response from the Maharashtra government on a bail plea filed by the father of minor involved in the 2024 Pune Porsche accident case. On May 19, 2024, a 17-year-old boy, driving a Porsche, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, fatally knocked down two IT professionals in Pune's Kalyani Nagar area. A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan issued notice to the state government on the appeal filed by Vishal Agarwal challenging an order of the Bombay High Court which denied him bail. The matter has been posted for hearing on March 10. The high court had on December 16, 2025, rejected the bail plea of Agarwal and the other accused. On February 2, the top court granted bail to three accused while observing that parents are to be blamed for incidents involving juveniles, as they don't have control over their children. The court allowed the bail, noting that the accused - Amar Santish Gaikwad (alleged middleman), Aditya Avinash Sood,

SC directs Centre to participate in meeting on lack of functional CCTVs

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Centre and others to participate in a meeting for the creation of a centralised dashboard and standardisation of CCTV infrastructure in police stations. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta passed the order after a submission by senior advocate Siddhartha Dave. Assisting the court as amicus curiae, Dave told the court that pursuant to an order dated January 29, a meeting was held on February 21, but the Union, the Delhi government and some other states did not participate it, and as such, he could not file the report as required. Taking note of the submission, the court ordered, "Counsel for the Union of India already apologised that due to some communication gap, it could not participate in the meeting. He, however, assures us that in the next meeting they will extend all cooperation." The bench added, "The amicus has suggested March 14, 2026, as the next date for a meeting. Let the meeting be held as directed earlier on Mar

Supreme Court imposes blanket ban on NCERT Class 8 textbook: Here's why

The Supreme Court banned a Class 8 textbook over "objectionable" content on the judiciary. The chapter cites corruption, case backlogs and shortage of judges as challenges facing the judicial system

SC orders ban, seizure of NCERT book over chapter on judiciary corruption

The Supreme Court on Thursday imposed a blanket ban on class 8 NCERT book carrying a chapter on corruption in the judiciary, and ordered a seizure of all physical copies, along with takedown of its digital forms. The apex court ordered that the Centre and state authorities comply with its directions immediately, and warned of "serious action" if directions are defied in any form. The top court issued show cause notices to NCERT director, school education secretary to explain why action should be not taken against those responsible. A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant said there seemed to be a calculated move to undermine institution and demean dignity of judiciary. The bench said such misconduct, having everlasting impact on judiciary, would fall within definition of criminal contempt. "We would like to have a deeper probe," the bench said. The court said that if allowed to go unchecked, this will erode people's faith in judiciary. "No one will be allowed to go scot-free."

NCERT 'trying' to retrieve 38 sold copies of now-withdrawn Class 8 textbook

The development comes a day after NCERT halted the distribution of the textbook following controversy over the content of a chapter on the judiciary

Chapter on 'judicial corruption': NCERT apologises, book to be rewritten

The NCERT on Wednesday apologised for "inappropriate content" after facing the Supreme Court's ire over a chapter talking about judicial corruption in a Class 8 textbook and said the book concerned will be rewritten in consultation with appropriate authorities. The council, responsible for school education curriculum, also put on hold the circulation of the textbook, hours after it took the book off its website. "It has been observed that certain inappropriate textual material and error of judgement have inadvertently crept into the concerned chapter," a senior official said. The National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT) said it "holds the judiciary in highest esteem and considers it to be the upholder of the Indian Constitution and protector of fundamental rights" and termed the error as purely unintentional. "NCERT reiterates that the objective of the new textbooks is to strengthen constitutional literacy, institutional respect, and informed understanding of ...

SC to hear suo motu case on NCERT book chapter on judiciary on Thursday

The Supreme Court is slated to hear on Thursday a suo motu case over the "objectionable" statements about the judiciary in NCERT textbooks. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi will hear the case titled 'In Re: Social Science Textbook For Grade-8 (part-2) Published by NCERT and Ancillary Issues'. This assumes significance as the CJI on Wednesday strongly objected to a chapter on judicial corruption in NCERT's Class 8 curriculum, saying that nobody on earth will be allowed to defame the judiciary and taint its integrity. After facing the apex court's ire, the NCERT pulled the Class 8 textbook from its website with sources saying the government has not taken kindly to the inclusion of the controversial topic in the book. Earlier in the day, the top court took cognizance of the "objectionable" statements about judiciary in NCERT textbooks after senior advocate Kapil Sibal, alongside Abhishek Singhvi, mentioned the matter for urgent ...

SC resumes final hearing on pleas related to retrospective EC to projects

The Supreme Court on Wednesday resumed hearing on a batch of pleas relating to grant of retrospective environmental clearance (EC) by the Centre and other authorities to projects found violating environmental norms on payment of heavy penalties. On November 18 last year, a three-judge bench headed by the then Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai reversed by a majority of 2:1 its own verdict by an interim order and paved the way for retrospective environmental clearance to projects found violating environmental norms, saying that otherwise "thousands of crores of rupees would go in waste". The top court had held that numerous vital public projects constructed with nearly Rs 20,000 of the public exchequer money would be demolished if the May 16, 2025, verdict, which barred the Centre from granting retrospective environmental clearance to projects, was not recalled. It had ordered a fresh hearing on the pleas. A three-judge bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagch

NCERT may remove controversial portion on judiciary from class 8 textbook

The controversial portions about judicial corruption in NCERT's class 8 textbook could be removed as the government has not taken kindly to the matter, sources said on Wednesday, while the council pulled the book from its website. A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi has taken suo motu cognisance of the "objectionable" statements about the judiciary in NCERT textbooks after senior advocate Kapil Sibal, alongside Abhishek Singhvi, mentioned the matter for urgent consideration. Separately, CJI Kant strongly objected to a chapter on judicial corruption in the NCERT's Class 8 curriculum, saying nobody on earth will be allowed to defame the judiciary and taint its integrity. The National Council of Educational Research and Training's (NCERT's) new social science textbooks for Class 8 say corruption, a massive backlog of cases, and the lack of an adequate number of judges are among the challenges faced by the ..

SC takes cognisance of Class 8 NCERT text on corruption in judiciary

The Supreme Court on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of the contents of Class 8 NCERT textbook referring to the corruption in the judiciary and termed it a matter of "grave concern." A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi was urged by senior advocate Kapil Sibal that "children of class 8 are taught about corruption in the judiciary. This is a matter of grave concern." The CJI said, "I will not allow anybody to defame the institution. Law will take its course." He added, "As head of the institution, I have done my duty and have taken cognisance This seems to be a calculated move. I won't say much." Justice Bagchi said the book seemed to be against the basic structure of the Constitution. The CJI said, "Please wait for a few days. Bar and Bench all are perturbed. All high court judges are perturbed. I will take up the matter suo motu. I will not allow anybody to defame the institution. Law will take its course." Later, Just

Bengal SIR: SC allows Jharkhand, Odisha judicial officers for verification

SC permits deployment of additional judges to speed up Bengal's voter roll revision and allows the Election Commission to publish the final rolls on February 28 as verification continues

Will comply with NCLAT order on data sharing: WhatsApp to Supreme Court

Global tech giants Meta Platforms Inc. and WhatsApp told the Supreme Court on Monday that they will comply with the NCLAT's directions for extending the Competition Commission of India's (CCI) privacy and consent guidelines to advertising-related data. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi was hearing appeals filed by the tech giants against the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal's (NCLAT) directions of December last year. The court is also seized of a cross-appeal filed by the CCI, assailing the NCLAT ruling to the extent that it allowed WhatsApp and Meta to continue sharing users' data for advertising purposes. "These applications essentially seek a direction for a stay of the impugned judgment of the NCLAT to the extent it approves the direction issued by the CCI directing Meta to comply with the impugned directions contained in the NCLAT order dated December 15, 2025, containing certain directions issued to Meta," the CJI ...

SC to examine if NEET-PG cut-off reduction affects quality of education

The Supreme Court on Monday said it would examine whether the sharp reduction in the qualifying marks for NEET-PG 2025-26 affects the standard of postgraduate medical education. A bench of Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe made the remarks while hearing a batch of petitions challenging the reduction in the percentile cut-off for the current academic year. "Adversely affecting the quality of education is what we are concerned about more than anything. It is about the quality. You will have to satisfy us that the reduction of the cutoff so drastically...will have little impact on the quality of education. Though you are justified in saying that this is not like entry into MBBS, this is like a post-graduation. It stands on a different footing because those who apply are already doctors. We will have to reflect on this issue," the top court said. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, referred to the reasoning set out in the government's ...

Air pollution: SC seeks Centre's reply on shifting coal units from NCR

The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses of the union ministries on a proposal for shifting all coal-based industries out of Delhi-NCR to ensure better air quality. In a bid to deal with the persistent air quality crisis in the National Capital Region (NCR), a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi Vipul M Pancholi said it will examine the issue of vehicular air pollution on March 12 based on the suggestions made by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). It also sought responses of all the stakeholders on the measures suggested by the CAQM to deal with dust due to construction and demolition activities. The top court sought responses of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), MoPNG (Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas) and the Ministry of Power on the suggestions that no new coal-based thermal power plant be set up within 300 km of Delhi. The court directed Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan to issue publ

SC adjourns hearing on plea against Sonam Wangchuk's detention to Feb 26

The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned to February 26 the hearing on a plea filed by Gitanjali J Angmo, wife of jailed climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, against the latter's detention under the National Security Act. A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and P B Varale deferred the matter as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was not available. Earlier, the top court had asked the Centre if there was any possibility for the government to relook at the detention of Wangchuk, considering his health condition. Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj had submitted that Wangchuk was responsible for violence in Leh on September 24 last year, in which four people died, and 161 were injured. The Centre and the Ladakh administration had told the apex court that Wangchuk was detained for instigating people in a border area where regional sensitivity was involved. Justifying Wangchuk's detention, Mehta had told the bench that all procedural safeguards were followed while ordering his detention under