Recently, many opposition leaders and especially from the Congress Party have started saying there is a EMERGENCY like situation in the country, there is no democracy, government is not listening to our views, there is no freedom of speech, the voice of opposition is suppressed and many more such things. Friends, people who were born after say 1975, have not seen what can be the situation in emergency period in the country. Our country faced the emergency situation in for two years from 1975-1977. Many of our politicians who are making these kind of statements on emergency were not even born in 1975 or they were very young to realize the gravity of the situation.
Friends let me take back to the year 1975:
Raj Narain who was defeated by Indira Gandhi in Rae Bareily consituency in UP, had lodged a case against Indira in Allahabad High Court stating that she had won the election by not so fair means, by using govt machinery and committing fraud etc. Noted Laywer Shanti Bhushan appeared for Raj Narain . Indira Gandhi was summoned to the court and cross examined. On 12th June 1975, Justice Jagmohan Lal Sinha found PM Indira Gandhi guilty on the charge of mis using govt machinery during her election campaigning. The court declared her election null and void and debarred her from contesting election for 6 years. Serious charges like bribing the voters and other election mal practices were dropped.
Immediate calls were made by opposition that she should resign immediately. There were nation wide strikes in trade, student union, govt unions etc, led by opposition leaders like Jai Prakash Narain, SN Sinha, Morarji Desai, Raj Narain and many others.
Indira Gandhi appealed to Supreme Court against High Court Judgement. On 24th June 1975 Supreme Court Justice VR Krishna Iyer stood by High Court judgement and ordered all privileges to which she is receiving as MP to be stopped and she is not allowed to vote . However, she was allowed to remain as PM.
In the same night Indira Gandhi requested President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed to declare state of Emergency in the Country. Overnight hundreds of opposition leaders were jailed and electric power of all major news paper was disconnected. She never discussed the proposal of Emergency with her cabinet, before requesting President to sign the paper. The Cabinet learn the proposal next morning and without any discussions they ratified it.
There was hardly any protest within the Congress(R), as it was a well known fact that the most of the Congress Leaders , who held their position due to patronage of Indira Gandhi, and others who had some mass base kept quite because of fear of going to jail.
For proclamation of emergency, she was basically advised by her younger son Sanjay and West Bengal Chief Minister SS Ray. As Ray was himself a lawyer, he drafted letter for President to sign, the letter said on the basis of information received there is immediate danger to the security of the country, and country is being threatened by internal forces. Ray showed how democratic freedom can be suspended, while adhering by constitution. President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, without any hesitation signed the Internal Emergency Proclamation. As the constitution required, President kept on approving Emergency every 6 months, until the General elections which were announced in early 1977.
Indira Gandhi bestowed herself with extra constitutional powers by invoking article 352 . The Cenral and State Govts controlled by Congress started arresting opposition leaders of all the political parties across the country, including top leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpaye, Jai Prakash Narain, Raj Narain, Morarji Desai, Vijayaraje Scindia, Charan Singh, LK Advani and many others. Organizations like RSS & Jamaat e Islam were banned. Many prominent leaders of left parties were also arrested.
As nine High Court gave the ruling that even after arrest in emergency a detained person can go in for appeal. Then Supreme Court , Indira Gandhi had earlier appointed AN Ray, her nominee as Chief Justice, who over ruled the decisions of all the High Courts.
Leaders, Govt officials who were directly involved in running the administration of Emergency
- Indra Gandhi- She was the main person who orchestrated the implementation and administration of Emergency.
- President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed- He signed the decree allowing the Emergency under Prime Minister’s rule. Although initially when he signed the decree, there was no recommendation by cabinet.
- Siddartha Shankar Ray- Then Chief minister of West Bengal, who supplied legal justifications to PM for Emergency.
- Vidya Charan Shukla- Minister for Information & Broadcasting. He implemented a national Black Out of news coverage and criticism by country’s media like Press, films, TV magazines etc, and their censorship.
- Om Mehta-Minister of State for Home Affairs- He was instrumental in closing some courts, newspapers, and provided the list to authorities, for arresting the people.
- Bansi Lal-Chief Minister of Haryana and later Defence Minister, he was closed confidant of PM and her son Sanjay Gandhi.
- RK Dhawan- Additional Personal Secretary to Indira Gandhi- He passed directives from Indira and Sanjay Gandhi to senior officials and bureaucrats.
- Navin Chawla- Civil Servant: Confidant of Sanjay Gandhi. He was involved in implicating people opposing Govt in false cases.
- AN Ray- Chief Justice of India. He was instrumental in issuing decree permitting no cases can be filed against govt once the emergency is in force.
- Sanjay Gandhi- He had the real extra constitutional authority during emergency, he was the main advisor of his mother, and she used to listen to him. He was responsible for several significant happenings during the period of Emergency. The most famous being Razing of Slums in Delhi, Forced Sterilisation, Intimidation and imprisonment of political opponents
The 1st mass protest in the nation, was known as “Campaign to Save Democracy” was organized by Akali Dal in Amritsar on July 9. In the statement issued, that Sikhs fought Moghuls, British for the freedom of the nation, will now voice against the imposition of Emergency and curtailment of basic constitutional rights. Police arrested all top leaders of Akali Dal and SGPC. While being arrested they echoed the Slogan- the question is not whether Indira Gandhi remains PM, the point is whether democracy will survive in our country.
According to the estimate published in foreign media about 140,000 persons were arrested without trial during 20 months of Emergency, and out of which approx 40,000 were Sikhs from Punjab.
People living in Bombay during onset of Emergency might recall a advertisement published in “The Times of India”, which is as follows
“D.E.M O’Cracy, beloved husband of T Ruth, loving father of L.I.Bertie, brother of Faith, Hope and Justice, expired on June 26.”
Which literally meant “ Democracy, beloved husband of Truth, loving father of Liberty, brother of Faith, Hope and Justice expired on June 26th 1975.”
I think there can not be any better and apter definition and description of Emergency.
Main Criticism Leveled against Govt During Emergency
Following were the main criticism and accusation against govt
1.Detention of people by Authorities, without any charge and notification to families.
2.Abuse and torture of Political prisoners and other detainees.
3.Use of Public and private media Institutions, like AIR, Door Darshan for govt propaganda.
4.Forced Sterilisation.
5.Destruction of Slums and low income housing in Turkman Gate in Delhi, on the instructions of Sanjay Gandhi.
6.During Emergency Sanjay Gandhi asked Bollywood singer Kishore Kumar to sing for one of the rallies of Congress, which he refused. Then Information & Broadcasting Vidya Charan shukla banned Kishore Kumar songs from AIR and Door Darshan, till the end of emergency.
7.Large scale enactment of illegal laws to suit the present govt.
In the end, the time during the Emergency period, was the biggest challenge for India’s commitment to democracy, which proved vulnerable to the manipulation of powerful leaders, who can get the brute majority in parliament.
The Emergency ended suddenly on 18th Jan 1977, when Indira Gandhi made the announcement that there will General elections in March 1977 and all political prisoners are being freed.
So friends, I have tried to explain briefly what happened during Emergency, which was imposed by Indira Gandhi. Can someone tell me whether situation in the country same like what was there during emergency in 1975-77. What these opposition leaders and cronies of Congress are saying now is not at all comparable to what happened earlier.
Waiting for your feedback on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
18th September 2025.