The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday expressed serious concern over Class 8 educational material published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) referring to judicial corruption, with Chief Justice of India Surya Kant indicating that he has taken cognisance of the issue and may initiate suo motu proceedings.

The issue was raised before the Court by Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, who submitted that the inclusion of content on judicial corruption at the middle-school level had caused concern within the Bar.

The CJI observed that members of both the Bar and the Bench, including judges of various High Courts, were perturbed by the development. He stated that, as head of the institution, he had taken note of the matter and would not permit any attempt to undermine the judiciary’s institutional integrity. He further indicated that appropriate steps would be taken in accordance with law after due consideration.

The Court signalled that it would examine the issue and take necessary action.