The Supreme Court upheld the National Book Trust’s status as State under Article 12 on 6 November 2026, dismissing its appeal against a Delhi High Court Full Bench ruling.
Judge / Bench — Prashant Kumar Mishra, Judge (author); Augustine George Masih, Judge.
In Chairman, National Book Trust v. A.R. Abdul Gaffar, 2026 INSC 1202, the court assessed governmental creation, appointments, management, finance and audit cumulatively. Society registration and independent publication income did not displace pervasive government control. It clarified that Article 12 status does not turn the Trust into a government department or automatically confer civil-servant protections on its employees.
Advocates appearing — Appellants and respondents: Not named in the judgment/order. Amicus curiae: Sanjay Jain, Senior Counsel, assisted by Harshita Sukhija, Counsel.