On this day in 1975, Emergency was imposed in India by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Emergency was in force for a period of 21 months from 25 June 1975 to 21 March 1977. President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed declared a state of emergency due to internal disturbances under Article 352 of the Constitution of India on the recommendations of the government led by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The Emergency is often regarded as a dark phase in the history of India’s democracy as this period is marked by the suspension of fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution, state censorship on the media and crackdown on civil liberties.
What is emergency?
Article 352 of the Indian Constitution declares that the President of India can declare a national emergency if the security of the country is at stake and threatened by war, external aggression, or internal disturbance/armed rebellion.
How was emergency declared in 1975?
On the night of 25 June, within hours of talks between PM Gandhi and President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, a national emergency was declared. Several opposition leaders were arrested.
According to reports, the government allegedly cut power supply to newspapers and media houses in Delhi so that no word could come out and the next morning Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency on All India Radio.
Role of Jayaprakash Narayan
Jayaprakash Narayan was a leader and activist in Bihar who in the years before 1975 staged mass protests against the government led by Indira Gandhi. Jayaprakash Narayan, also known as JP, had called for a complete revolution to reform the system and fight against corruption. inflation. He held Prime Minister Indira Gandhi responsible for all the problems of the country.
On June 12, 1975, the Allahabad High Court convicted Indira Gandhi of electoral misconduct and barred her from holding any public office for 6 years. His election from Rae Bareli constituency of UP was canceled in the 1971 Lok Sabha elections. After this Indira Gandhi appealed to the Supreme Court and remained in the post of Prime Minister.
However, Jayaprakash Narayan intensified protests for the removal of Indira Gandhi. He announced to hold a rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on June 25.
Events after the declaration of emergency
The period of emergency in the country saw the arrest of over one lakh people who were protesting or raising their voice against the central government. Many opposition leaders and activists went underground. State elections were also delayed due to the Emergency.
After the lifting of the Emergency, Lok Sabha elections were held again, in which Indira Gandhi was defeated and for the first time after independence, a party other than the Congress came to power. Indira Gandhi also suffered a crushing defeat in the mid-term elections held in March 1977.
Emergency in India before 1975
India has been in a state of emergency twice before 1975. Emergency was declared in the country during the Indo-China war in 1962 and the Indo-Pakistani war in 1971.
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