UPSC Exam  >  UPSC Notes  >  Post Independence History for UPSC Mains  >  Emergency of 1975

Emergency of 1975 | Post Independence History for UPSC Mains PDF Download

Economic Issues 

  • India support to Bangladesh’s liberation caused serious repercussion on India’s foreign exchange reserves
  • Consecutive monsoon failure in 1972 & 73 affected India food grains availability and fuelled prices.
  • Large scale unemployment and economic recession led to industrial unrest and wave of strikes in different parts of country which culminated in All India railway strike in May 1974.

 Tussle with Judiciary 

  • Union government under the leadership of Indira Gandhi amended the constitution in the Parliament that it can abridge Fundamental rights while giving effect to DPSPs.
  • Later, In Kesavananda Bharti Case, the Apex Court ruled that there are some basic features of the constitution, which can’t be amended.
  • Furious with SC judgment, Union Government changed the long term precedence of appointing senior most judges in SC as Chief Justice.
  • In 1973, the government set aside seniority of three judges and appointed Justice AN Ray as Chief Justice of India.
  • Allahabad HC, while hearing the plea of socialist leader Raj Narain on the validity of victory of Indira to Lok Sabha ruled in the his favour and set aside her victory and ruled her election invalid on the grounds of abuse of power. However, SC later granted stay [partial] on this order, and allowed her to remain MP.

 JP Movement (Total Revolution)

  • The students of Gujarat protested immensely in 1974 against the rise in prices of food-grain, cooking oil & other essential commodities, later joined by the political parties too.
  • Police administration replied with excessive force, indiscriminate arrests & used lathi charge. Later union government dissolved the assembly and announced new elections to the assembly.
  • Inspired by the efforts and success by Gujarat student’s movement, similar agitation was initiated in Bihar by students in March 1974.
  • Jayaprakash Narayan came out of his political retirement & provided the perfect leadership to these students.
  • He gave a call for “Sampooran Kranti” (Total Revolution) against the immense corruption, to defend democracy from authorization personality of Indira Gandhi.
    • During the JP Movement, people set up parallel governments all over the state, didn’t pay the taxes etc.
    • JP Movement attracted wide support from students, middle classes, traders, and a section of the intelligentsia.
    • The JP Movement also got the backing of nearly all the non-left political parties.
    • However, by the end of 1974, JP Movement’s fervor got down because of absence of organizational structures of the movement.
    • Most of his student followers resumed their classes.
    • The movement had failed to attract the rural and urban poor both in Gujarat and Bihar.

 

Imposition of Emergency

  • Due to SC’s partial stay on earlier’s order, all the political parties under leadership of Jayaprakash Narayan, demanded her resignation on moral grounds.
  • Indira Gandhi resisted such demand & in response declared a state of emergency in 1975 on the grounds of threat of internal disturbances, invoking article 352 of constitution.
    Emergency of 1975 | Post Independence History for UPSC Mains
  • The Union Government misused its powers:
    • Electricity of the newspaper houses got disconnected, leaders of opposition parties were arrested.
    • Government curtailed the freedom of press via “Press censorship” and made it mandatory to get its approval before publishing it.
    • Protests, strikes and public agitations were not allowed.
    • Fundamental right of constitutional remedies to move the court for restoring their FRs got suspended.
    • Religious and cultural organisation like RSS, Jamait-E-Islami was banned on the apprehension of disturbance to social and communal hormony.
    • Government misused the provision of preventive detention, arrested the political workers of opposition parties.
    • Torture and custodial deaths occurred during Emergency, arbitrary relocation of poor people, imposition of compulsory sterilization to control population.

 

Impact of Emergency 

  • Due to such harsh conditions during emergency regime, people who were awarded with honours like Padma shri and other awards returned these honours in the protest against suspension of democracy.
  • Due to the abuse of power during the period of emergency, the leaders had realised that such measures well subvert the rule of law and democratic institutions.
    • Therefore post emergency, they had ensured that such declaration of emergency, should not happen again and put stringent restrictions on declaring the emergency.
    • The preventive measures restored the people’s faith in democracy and political leaders too adhered to such conditions and since then they never attempted to undermine the democratic framework.
    • Hence we have not seen any instance of declaration of emergency and after 1977 democracy flourished in India in true sense.
The document Emergency of 1975 | Post Independence History for UPSC Mains is a part of the UPSC Course Post Independence History for UPSC Mains.
All you need of UPSC at this link: UPSC
24 videos|44 docs|21 tests

Top Courses for UPSC

FAQs on Emergency of 1975 - Post Independence History for UPSC Mains

1. What was the Emergency of 1975 in India?
Ans. The Emergency of 1975 refers to a period in Indian history when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency, suspending several civil liberties and imposing strict censorship and political repression between 1975 and 1977.
2. Why was the Emergency declared in 1975?
Ans. The Emergency was declared in 1975 by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in response to political and social unrest, including protests by opposition parties and labor strikes. It was also triggered by a court ruling that declared her election to Parliament invalid due to electoral malpractices.
3. What were the main consequences of the Emergency?
Ans. During the Emergency, several civil liberties were curtailed, including the freedom of speech, press, and assembly. Opposition leaders and activists were arrested and jailed without trial. Censorship was imposed on the media, and political dissent was suppressed. The Emergency led to a widespread backlash and marked a significant dent in India's democratic fabric.
4. How did the Emergency impact Indian democracy?
Ans. The Emergency had a significant impact on Indian democracy as it suspended several democratic institutions and practices. It undermined the principles of individual freedom, equality, and the rule of law. The political repression and censorship during this period were seen as a threat to democracy and resulted in a popular backlash against the ruling party.
5. When did the Emergency end and what were its long-term effects?
Ans. The Emergency ended in 1977 when Indira Gandhi called for general elections and her party, the Indian National Congress, faced a major defeat. The long-term effects of the Emergency included a renewed focus on safeguarding civil liberties and strengthening democratic institutions. It also led to the rise of new political parties and a greater emphasis on checks and balances in the Indian political system.
24 videos|44 docs|21 tests
Download as PDF
Explore Courses for UPSC exam

Top Courses for UPSC

Signup for Free!
Signup to see your scores go up within 7 days! Learn & Practice with 1000+ FREE Notes, Videos & Tests.
10M+ students study on EduRev
Related Searches

Semester Notes

,

Important questions

,

study material

,

Emergency of 1975 | Post Independence History for UPSC Mains

,

Free

,

MCQs

,

shortcuts and tricks

,

Previous Year Questions with Solutions

,

practice quizzes

,

Emergency of 1975 | Post Independence History for UPSC Mains

,

video lectures

,

ppt

,

mock tests for examination

,

Emergency of 1975 | Post Independence History for UPSC Mains

,

pdf

,

Exam

,

Sample Paper

,

Viva Questions

,

Extra Questions

,

past year papers

,

Summary

,

Objective type Questions

;