New Delhi, July 7 -- A little over four months after the Supreme Court ordered the withdrawal of NCERT's controversial Class 8 Social Science textbook for its contentious remarks on the judiciary, the organisation released a revised edition that substantially rewrites the chapter on the judiciary, removing discussions on "corruption in the judiciary", judicial backlog and some landmark Supreme Court rulings. The new chapter also dwells on the Supreme Court's constitutional role, Public Interest Litigation (PIL), tribunals and alternative dispute resolution. The opening "Big Questions" section, with questions at the start of the chapter to help students think critically, has also seen a change. Instead of asking students why an independent judiciary is necessary, as the withdrawn textbook did, the revised chapter asks why justice is important for a "just and harmonious society". NCERT released the Class 8 Social Science Part 1 textbook in July 2025 and Part 2 on February 23, 2026,weeks before the end of the 2025-26 academic session. The second volume triggered controversy over a section titled "Corruption in the judiciary", prompting the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance on February 25. The same day, NCERT apologised for the "inappropriate content" and promised that the chapter would be rewritten. A day later, the court prohibited dissemination of the textbook in both physical and digital formats. NCERT did not respond to queries on the revised edition. Several sections from the withdrawn textbook have been dropped in the revised edition. The chapter no longer includes a section on "Challenges Faced by the Judicial System"; in the previous edition, this went on to discuss the "massive backlog" of cases due to reasons including the "lack of an adequate number of judges, complicated legal procedures, and poor infrastructure." The controversial section on "Corruption in the judiciary", which quoted former Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, as saying that there had been instances of "corruption and misconduct" within the judiciary, has also been removed. Another section "Why is an independent judiciary needed for justice?" has also disappeared. The withdrawn textbook had described an independent judiciary as "the best defence of an individual's fundamental rights" and explained that the Constitution protects judges from interference by the legislature and executive. Also omitted are classroom discussions based on two recent Supreme Court judgments -- Shreya Singhal vs Union of India, which struck down Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, and Association for Democratic Reforms v. Union of India, which invalidated the electoral bonds scheme. However, the revised textbook introduces a detailed discussion on Public Interest Litigation (PIL) under Articles 32 and 226, describing PIL as "an innovation introduced by the Supreme Court" to address issues of public concern. It cites the release of undertrial prisoners through the Hussainara Khatoon litigation, the environmental cases of MC Mehta, and the Vishaka judgment on workplace sexual harassment. The revised textbook states in its acknowledgements that it has been published pursuant to the review process undertaken "in compliance with the directions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India" in Suo Motu Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1/2026. It adds that Chapter 4, "The Role of the Judiciary in Society", was "rewritten" by an expert committee constituted by the Union ministry of education pursuant to the directions of the apex court through an order dated March 16. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the matter again on July 14....