India, March 9 -- When the Supreme Court of India stepped in suo motu over a Class VIII Social Science textbook that cast aspersions on the judiciary, the action was immediate and emphatic. It ordered the withdrawal of the textbook and the assignment of responsibility. Whatever public perceptions may be - particularly under the present regime - institutional credibility, built over decades, could not be compromised in officially prescribed educational material. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) conceded error. A corrective step followed. It was a swift demonstration of constitutional self-respect.

Yet the episode leaves a deeper and more disquieting question. If the court can intervene to protect its own i...