It is not often that middle-school civics sparks judicial controversy. The recent banning of a civics textbook by the Supreme Court, however, has snowballed from a school lesson into a question of judicial authority and institutional temperament.

The facts are, by now, well known. The Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of a chapter in a class VIII NCERT textbook titled “The Role of the Judiciary in Our Society”. The chapter presents the judiciary as a pillar of democracy, situates it constitutionally and outlines its role as protector of citizens’ rights. At the same time, it acknowledges widely recognised challenges — pendency of cases, shortage of judges, and possibility of corruption within the system. It is this reference to institutional challenges that drew the Supreme Court’s ire.

Still, the episode would likely have passed as a minor skirmish had the Court’s response been proportionate. To the extent the chapter is criticised for bias, omission or substantiation, a reasoned critique and a directive for revision would have been sufficient. Instead, the Supreme Court responded with unprecedented force. Its........

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