New Delhi: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has released a revised edition of its Class 8 Social Science textbook, introducing several significant changes beyond the chapter on the judiciary that was rewritten following directions from the Supreme Court.
The updated textbook, 'Exploring Society: India and Beyond', revises the description of the Indian National Congress's position on the 1947 Partition, adds a reference to Vinayak Damodar (VD) Savarkar's call for Swaraj, removes references to Adolf Hitler and Nazi ideology, and expands the definition of discrimination to include economic background.
The revised edition follows months of controversy over content in the earlier version, particularly a chapter on the judiciary that was criticised for allegedly portraying the institution in a negative light. After the Supreme Court intervened, both printed and digital copies of the earlier textbook were withdrawn, and NCERT issued an apology.
The rewritten chapter now omits the disputed content, including references to judicial backlog and two major court verdicts. In its place, the textbook introduces fresh sections explaining Public Interest Litigation (PIL), tribunals and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
Among the major historical revisions, the chapter India's Long Road to Independence now states that the Partition of India was widely opposed by the Indian National Congress and says that whether the party's eventual acceptance of Partition was the only viable option remains a subject of historical debate.
The earlier edition had stated that Congress leaders accepted Partition as the only way forward after the British decided to divide India amid disagreements between Hindu and Muslim leaders, despite opposition from Mahatma Gandhi and most Congress leaders. It had also suggested that Congress leaders were left helpless as communal violence spread across the subcontinent during Partition. These references have been removed from the revised text.
The history chapter has also been expanded to mention that VD Savarkar had raised a similar demand for Swaraj in 1925, alongside the broader discussion on India's freedom movement.
Another notable change concerns the section on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The previous edition had stated that Bose sought the support of Adolf Hitler to raise an army and described Hitler as a dictator whose racist Nazi ideology and expansionist ambitions led to the Second World War. The revised version instead states that Bose sought assistance from anti-British forces, omitting any direct reference to Hitler or Nazi ideology.
The textbook acknowledges that the revised edition has been published following a review process carried out in compliance with the Supreme Court's directions in Suo Motu Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1 of 2026. It notes that the chapter on the judiciary was completely rewritten by an expert committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Education under the apex court's March 16 order.
The development team has also undergone changes. While the earlier edition listed 51 contributors, the revised textbook names 48, with Michel Danino, Suparna Diwakar and Alok Prasanna Kumar no longer included among the contributors.
The revised textbook also broadens the scope of discrimination discussed in the chapter Citizenship: Rights and Duties. Economic background has now been added to the list of factors that can lead to discrimination, alongside caste, religion, ethnicity, disability, race, gender, sexuality and physical appearance.
The text explains that discrimination includes unfair treatment based on these characteristics and notes that children from economically disadvantaged families may also experience prejudice and unequal treatment.
The revision comes at a time when the definition of discrimination has attracted public attention following the University Grants Commission's (UGC) Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026. While the UGC regulations recognise religion, race, caste, gender, place of birth and disability as protected categories, they do not explicitly include economic background.
NCERT officials said that all new textbooks for Classes 1 to 8 prepared under the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023 are now available in both print and digital formats. Most Class 9 textbooks have also been released, with the remaining two, including Part 2 of the Social Science and Mathematics textbooks, expected by August.
Officials added that the rollout of new textbooks for Classes 10 and 11 has been scheduled for the 2027-28 academic session. Until then, the existing textbooks for those classes will continue to be used during the 2026-27 academic year.
The National Curriculum Framework forms a key component of the National Education Policy (NEP) and serves as the basis for the ongoing revision of school textbooks across the country.