National Emergency in India: Kangana Ranaut has recently released the first look of her directorial movie “Emergency”, in which she plays the role of PM Indira Gandhi; this story is based on the infamous National Emergency that was declared on 25th June 1975 during the term of Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister.
What is National Emergency? When can a national emergency be declared? We will be answering all these questions in this story.
Keep reading.
What is National Emergency?
National Emergency is a situation in which there is a restriction on the fundamental rights of the citizens and various other liberties are restricted. The national emergency comes under Article 352 of the Indian Constitution.
When can National Emergency be declared?
A national emergency is declared when there is a threat to the country's security and such a threat arises due to war, external aggression or internal disturbances.
Article 352 of the Indian Constitution states that the President of India can declare an emergency based on the abovementioned factors.
National Emergencies in India
The citizens of India witnessed three instances of declaration of National Emergency during the following years.
1962 - During India - China War
1971 - During India - Pakistan War
1975 - During the rule of Indira Gandhi
We will be discussing the National Emergency of 1975 in detail here.
National Emergency of 1975
It was the longest phase of political unrest that India witnessed during the National Emergency of 1975.
The period of emergency lasted for around 21 months, starting from midnight of 25th June 1975 till its withdrawal on 21st March 1977.
President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed declared the National Emergency by invoking Article 352 of the Indian Constitution and citing internal disturbances in the country as the sole reason for declaring an emergency.
During this time, restrictions were imposed on the fundamental rights of the citizens as well as censorship of the press.
Those who opposed the decision of the government were arrested. It is reported that around 1 lakh people were arrested during that time.
President declared the Emergency on the recommendation of PM Indira Gandhi, who held the majority in the parliament.
This event is regarded as one of the darkest days in the history of democracy in India.
This period also saw forced sterilisations done on males as a measure to reduce population and was the brainchild of Sanjay Gandhi, son of Indira Gandhi.
Impact after Emergency
Once the emergency was lifted on 21st March 1977, the country witnessed fresh elections, which resulted in the loss of Congress and the election of Morarji Desai of Janata Dal as the new Prime Minister of India.
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