SC says people have a right to criticise its judgments

The Supreme Court on Friday (March 20, 2026) disposed of a writ petition that had raised concerns over an earlier edition of the NCERT Class 8 Social Science textbook, which was criticised for its remark on Supreme Court judgments, especially a verdict on slum dwellers.

Noting that orders had already been passed in a suo motu case on the NCERT textbook row, Chief Justice Kant remarked orally that people have a right to their opinions about the apex court judgments.

The Chief Justice also pointed out that the textbook edition in question had also balanced criticism by highlighting meaningful interventions made by the apex court in the past.

The petition, filed by Pankaj Pushkar, had brought to attention a remark in the book about “recent judgments tending to view “the slum dweller as an encroacher in the city”.

“It is a viewpoint about a judgment. That’s a healthy criticism. Why should the judiciary be oversensitive about this?” the CJI asked the petitioner’s counsel.

The CJI said the contents also detailed the structure of the judiciary, its functioning, its achievements, etc.

“Then it says there are also court judgments that people believe work against the best interests of common persons…This is a viewpoint about a judgment. People have a right to criticise our judgments,” the Bench said.