New Delhi: The revised Class 8 Social Science textbook published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has undergone significant changes across multiple chapters, apart from the controversial chapter on the judiciary.
According to PTI, the textbook listed "economic background" alongside caste, religion, race, gender, disability and other traditional identity markers as grounds on which discrimination can occur.
On July 7, NCERT released the revised Class 8 Social Science textbook, ‘Exploring Society: India and Beyond,’ with the disputed portions removed months after it sparked controversy for allegedly defaming the judiciary,
The revised textbook drops the controversial sections, references to the judicial backlog and two major court verdicts. It also introduces fresh material on Public Interest Litigation (PIL), tribunals and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. However, these are not the only changes made to the revised edition.
In the chapter titled Citizenship: Rights and Duties, the textbook states: "Discrimination is mistreating any person or group because of their caste, religion, ethnicity, disability, race, physical appearance, gender, sexuality, or economic background. This is not only unethical, but also legally prohibited."
It further states, "Children from economically disadvantaged families can face prejudice and unequal treatment, alongside discrimination based on appearance, gender, sexuality or other personal characteristics."
The revision comes amid an intense public debate over the definition of discrimination following the Union Government's UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026.
The UGC regulations define discrimination as unfair or biased treatment on the grounds of religion, race, caste, gender, place of birth or disability. However, they do not explicitly include economic background or economic disadvantage as a protected category.
Controversy over judiciary chapter
In February, controversy erupted over the NCERT Class 8 Social Science textbook after it included a section titled "Corruption in the judiciary".
Following the Supreme Court's intervention, both the physical and digital copies of the textbook were withdrawn, and NCERT issued an apology.
The apex court imposed a "complete blanket ban" on any further publication, reprinting or digital dissemination of the textbook, stating that it contained "offending" content on corruption in the judiciary.
The revised textbook states in its acknowledgements that it has been published following the review process undertaken "in compliance with the directions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India" in Suo Motu Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1 of 2026.
Changes in the revised textbook
The revised edition removes the controversial sections, references to the judicial backlog and two major court verdicts, while adding fresh content on Public Interest Litigation (PIL), tribunals and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
The opening "Big Questions" section has also been revised. Instead of asking students why an independent judiciary is necessary, as the withdrawn textbook did, the new chapter asks why justice is important for a "just and harmonious society".
The section titled "Challenges Faced by the Judicial System", which discussed the "massive backlog" of cases and attributed it to a shortage of judges, cumbersome procedures and weak infrastructure, has been removed entirely.
Also omitted is the section titled "Corruption in the judiciary", which had referred to former Chief Justice of India B R Gavai as acknowledging instances of "corruption and misconduct" within the judicial system.
The history chapter, India's Long Road to Independence, now states that Partition was "widely opposed even by the Indian National Congress" and that whether accepting it was "the only way forward" remains a matter of debate.
The revised edition also removes a sentence from the earlier textbook that stated, "The Congress leaders were helpless as communal massacres engulfed the subcontinent during Partition."
The withdrawn textbook had stated that "taking advantage of the disagreements between Hindu and Muslim leaders, the British decided to divide India and although Mahatma Gandhi and most Congress leaders opposed Partition, they ended up accepting it as the only way forward."
The revised textbook also expands its account of the demand for complete independence by adding that "a similar demand for Swaraj was expressed by VD Savarkar in 1925."
While the withdrawn edition stated that Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose sought Adolf Hitler's support to raise an army and described the German leader as a "dictator whose racist Nazi ideology and expansionist goals" had triggered the Second World War, the revised edition instead states that Bose "sought support from the anti-British forces", removing references to Hitler and Nazi ideology.
According to the acknowledgements in the revised textbook, Chapter 4, The Role of the Judiciary in Society, was rewritten by an expert committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Education following the apex court's directions through an order dated March 16.
The withdrawn textbook listed 51 members in its development team. The revised edition lists 48 members, with the names of Michel Danino, Suparna Diwakar and Alok Prasanna Kumar—the three individuals initially held responsible for the chapter—removed.