Examine how the Emergency has affected dissent and social movements in India. In what ways did this era act as a warning to safeguard democratic principles in India?
On 25 June 1975, the government declared a National Emergency by citing ‘internal disturbances’, and thus invoked Article 352 of the Indian Constitution, which gives the President the right to declare Emergency under threats of external aggression, war or armed rebellion. The then President FakhruddRead more
On 25 June 1975, the government declared a National Emergency by citing ‘internal disturbances’, and thus invoked Article 352 of the Indian Constitution, which gives the President the right to declare Emergency under threats of external aggression, war or armed rebellion. The then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed imposed Emergency on the recommendation of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi without prior consultation with the Cabinet after which there were significant changes.
- Once an Emergency is declared, the federal distribution of powers remains practically suspended, and all powers stay concentrated in the hands of the government. The government also gets the authority to curtail any or all of the Fundamental Rights, which includes basic rights like freedom of speech.
- Thus, after the midnight of 25 June 1975, electricity to all major newspaper offices was disconnected, while leaders and workers of opposition parties and several journalists and students were arrested. Along with that, all protests were banned, and press censorship was imposed.
- Preventive detention was also a step taken by the government in which any person under suspicion was arrested and imprisoned, without following any normal protocol of arrests. Judicial rights too, were suspended.
This was regarded as one of the most controversial decisions taken in an Independent India, with controversial cases like forced sterilizations and demolition of slums in Delhi along with the overall suspension of basic rights of life and liberty as an Indian citizen makes the period of Internal Emergency in India (1975-1977) the ‘dark age of Indian democracy’.
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The 1975 Emergency in India, declared by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was a 21-month period marked by suppression of civil liberties, mass arrests, and censorship. This dark chapter in Indian history had far-reaching impacts, especially on social movements and dissent, and became a crucial wakRead more
The 1975 Emergency in India, declared by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was a 21-month period marked by suppression of civil liberties, mass arrests, and censorship. This dark chapter in Indian history had far-reaching impacts, especially on social movements and dissent, and became a crucial wake-up call for the protection of democratic values in India.
Consequences of the Emergency on Social Movements and Dissent in India:
Emergency Period Served as a Wake-Up Call for Protecting Democratic Values in India in the following ways:
Overall, it was a turning point that revealed the vulnerabilities in the democratic fabric of the nation. While the immediate impact was devastating for social movements and dissent, the lessons learned have had a lasting influence on India’s political system serving as a necessary wake-up call, setting the stage for a more resilient democracy.
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