The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) will make the Class 9 Social Science textbook Understanding Society: India and Beyond – Part 2 available today, September 29, 2026. Students, parents and teachers will be able to purchase the book through NCERT Publication Division outlets, authorised vendors, the official NCERT website ncert.nic.in and Amazon.
What Students Need To Know About NCERT Class 9 Social Science Textbook
As per an official notice released on September 28, the part 2 will be launched today, September 29. The Class 9 Mathematics textbook, Ganita Manjari – Part 2 was launched on September 21, with NCERT stating that the book was developed with inputs from Mathematics teachers and subject experts. The council also said workshops and expert consultations were undertaken during its development. The part 2 of the Social Science textbook for Class 9 has likely followed the same procedure.
How To Download NCERT Class 9 Social Science Textbook?
- Visit the official website ncert.nic.in and click on "Textbooks."
- Select Class, subject and book title and click on "Go."
- The Class 9 Social Science part 2 textbook will be displayed on the screen.
- You can download the PDF and save it for future reference.
The books have been developed in line with National Education Policy (NEP) and National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023.
The revised Part 1 of the NCERT Class 9 Social Science textbook had sparked controversy after reports pointed out that the Preamble was no longer included in the introductory chapter on the Constitution. References to terms such as “secular” and “secularism”, which appeared in the earlier edition, were also absent from the main text.
NCERT, however, clarified that the Preamble had not been removed from the curriculum and said constitutional concepts had been redistributed across different grades as part of the revised curriculum framework.
Emergency Section Introduced
The revised Part 1 textbook also introduced a separate section on the 1975–77 Emergency, describing it as “one of the major challenges” to Indian democracy. The chapter states that during the Emergency, a majority of Fundamental Rights were suspended, the press was censored and several political leaders and activists were arrested.
Focus On Judiciary
The revised textbook describes the judiciary as an “impartial and independent institution” that protects citizens’ rights and upholds the spirit of the Constitution. It explains that the judiciary can review executive actions and constitutional amendments, strike down laws that violate the Constitution and hear Public Interest Litigations (PILs) to improve access to justice.
The discussion of the judiciary came months after the Supreme Court objected to references to alleged judicial corruption in a Class 8 NCERT textbook. The book was subsequently withdrawn and the disputed content was revised.
Election Commission And SIR
The revised Class 9 textbook also introduces the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The section explains that the exercise is aimed at ensuring that eligible voters are not left out of electoral rolls and that ineligible persons are not included.
The book also discusses the challenges faced by the Election Commission while conducting elections, including fake news, misinformation and intimidation, and highlights the role of the poll body in conducting elections impartially.
Judicial Corruption Controversy
Before the release of the new Class 9 Social Science textbook, NCERT faced controversy over its Class 8 Social Science textbook Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Part II. Released in February 2026, the book contained a section titled “Corruption in the Judiciary” in its chapter on the role of the judiciary. The chapter discussed complaints against the judiciary and other challenges faced by the judicial system.
The content drew the Supreme Court’s attention, with the court taking suo motu cognisance of the chapter and observing that the material was prima facie intended to malign the judiciary. NCERT subsequently apologised, stopped the distribution of the textbook and withdrew the physical and digital copies. The Supreme Court later directed that any rewritten chapter should be reviewed by a committee of domain experts before publication.
The textbook was subsequently reworked, with the disputed references to judicial corruption removed and new material added on aspects of the judicial system. The Supreme Court closed the proceedings in September 2026 after the chapter was replaced following the expert-panel review.
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