WHY EMERGENCY WAS IMPOSED BY INDRA GANDHI: EXTRACTS FROM GOOGLE .
The 1975 national emergency in India was declared on June 25, 1975, by President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, following the advice of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The emergency was primarily due to internal political unrest and “internal disturbance”, and Gandhi cited a “deep and widespread conspiracy” against her government. The immediate trigger for the emergency was the June 12, 1975, judgment by the Allahabad High Court, which found Gandhi guilty of electoral malpractices and invalidated her election to the Lok Sabha. This ruling threatened her prime ministership, and Gandhi sought to override political and civil challenges by recommending an emergency under Article 352 of the Constitution.
The emergency lasted from 1975–1977 and resulted in a significant suspension of civil liberties. The government imposed strict censorship on the press, centralized power, and arrested opposition leaders, including Jayaprakash Narayan, L K Advani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Morarji Desai. The government also made large-scale arrests under preventive detention, and arrested political persons could not challenge their arrest even under Habeas Corpus petition. In total, around 100,000 people, including journalists, scholars, activists, and opposition politicians, were detained without trial for up to 18 months. These actions were met with widespread criticism and protests, both domestically and internationally.
Imposition of Emergency
Gandhi justified the Emergency by citing a “deep and widespread conspiracy” against her government. During this period, civil liberties were suspended, and the government imposed strict censorship on the press. The Emergency also witnessed the centralization of power and the mass arrest of opposition leaders, including Jayaprakash Narayan, L K Advani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Morarji Desai. These actions were met with widespread criticism and protests, both domes ..