When was emergency imposed in india

The Emergency is often regarded as a dark phase in independent India's history because this period was marked by unbridled state incarceration, stifling of dissent, and government crackdown on civil liberties. There were reports of frequent human rights violations and the press being censored to a repressive extent. The June 12, verdict of the Allahabad High Court convicting then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of electoral malpractices and debarring her from holding any elected post was one of the factors that led to the imposition of the Emergency.

Indira Gandhi had won the Lok Sabha election from Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh convincingly defeating socialist leader Raj Narain, who later challenged her election alleging electoral malpractices and violation of the Representation of the People Act, It was alleged that her election agent Yashpal Kapoor was a government servant and that she used government officials for personal election related work.

While convicting Indira Gandhi of electoral malpractices, Justice Sinha disqualified her from Parliament and imposed a six-year ban on her holding any elected post. Interestingly, the very next day Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency suspending all fundamental rights, putting opposition leaders in jails, and imposing censorship on the media. The Congress government cited threats to national security, highlighting the recently-concluded war with Pakistan as a plank for its argument.

While many within the party still remained opposed to the idea of a declaration of a state of emergency, a few loyalists, including the then chief minister of West Bengal, Siddhartha Shankar Ray, advised Indira Gandhi to go ahead with the measure.

The prime minister's younger son, Sanjay Gandhi, too, had grown to be a proponent of "extra-constitutional" measures, according to historians, and hence was in support of his mother's declaration of the Emergency. The chequered legacy of the Emergency meant that the topic would forever remain hotly contested in India's hyperpartisan political climate, even nearly half a century later.

In its immediate aftermath, top newspapers condemned the month period of state repression in their respective editorials, while academics highlighted the need to bring checks and balances in the Indian constitution through amendments, to prevent future scenarios such as this.

There were a large number of clashes with the police, courts, and offices, schools and colleges were being shut down. He urged the dissenters to put pressure on the existing legislators to resign, so as to be able to pull down the Congress government. Further, JP toured across large sections of North India, drawing students, traders and sections of the intelligentsia towards his movement.

Opposition parties who were crushed in , saw in JP a popular leader best suited to stand up against Gandhi. JP too realised the necessity of the organisational capacity of these parties in order to be able to face Gandhi effectively. Gandhi denounced the JP movement as being extra-parliamentary and challenged him to face her in the general elections of March Even as Bihar was burning in agitations, the country was paralysed by a railways strike led by socialist leader George Fernandes.

Lasting for three weeks, in May , the strike resulted in the halt of the movement of goods and people. Guha, in his book, notes that as many as a million railwaymen participated in the movement. Thousands of employees were arrested and their families were driven out of their quarters. The petition accused the prime minister of having won the elections through corrupt practices.

It alleged that she spent more money than was allowed and further that her campaign was carried out by government officials. On March 19, , Gandhi became the first Indian prime minister to testify in court.

On June 24, the Supreme Court put a conditional stay on the High Court order: Gandhi could attend Parliament, but would not be allowed to vote unless the court pronounced on her appeal. The judgments gave the impetus to the JP movement, convincing them of their demand for the resignation of the prime minister.

Further, by now even senior members of the Congress party were of the opinion that her resignation would be favourable to the party. However, Gandhi firmly held on to the prime ministerial position with the conviction that she alone could lead the country in the state that it was in. Also read: Ruler alone is not accountable, everyone who succumbs to authority is no less guilty.

After protests and demonstartions began all over the country, Indira Gandhi got the then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed to sign the Emergency Declaration on midnight of June Internal unrest was cited as the reason behind imposing the Emergency. In a radio boradcast, Indira Gandhi told the people of the country a deep conspiracy was hatched against that the government which is why Emergency had to be imposed.

After this the freedom of the press was taken away, many senior journalists were sent to jail. At that time, anyone opposing emergency was punished by being out in jail.

During this period, 11 lakh people were arrested and sent to jails. It is said that at that time the country did not run from the Prime Minister's Office but from the Prime Minister's residence. On March 21, , the Emergency ended. The constitution mentions three types of emergency, the first is national emergency, second is President's rule and third is economic emergency.

All three emergencies cannot be imposed without the approval of the President. The President can also give these approval only on written proposal from Parliament.