Just before midnight on June 25, 1975, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi made a big move—she asked President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed to declare a national Emergency. He agreed, and things changed almost overnight. This 21-month period is now remembered as one of the darkest chapters in India’s democratic history.
Let’s take a simple look at how it all unfolded, step by step.
Indira Gandhi Takes the Lead
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January 1966: After the sudden death of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi becomes India’s Prime Minister.
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November 1969: The Congress Party splits. Indira is shown the door for not following party rules, but she carries on with her own faction.
Trouble Brews in Politics
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1971: Raj Narain, a strong opposition leader, loses to Indira Gandhi in the Lok Sabha elections from Rae Bareli. He isn’t happy and files a case against her, claiming she cheated during the election campaign.
Anger Spreads Across the Country
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1973–75: Things start to heat up. People across India are upset about rising prices, shortages of daily goods, and a generally poor economy after the 1971 war with Pakistan.
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Protests break out in many states—from Gujarat to Bihar—with students and opposition leaders joining hands against the government.
The Court Drops a Bombshell
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June 12, 1975: The Allahabad High Court finds Indira Gandhi guilty of cheating in the 1971 elections. The court says her election win is invalid, and she can’t hold office for six years. This verdict puts her political career at serious risk.
Opposition Gets Louder
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June 22, 1975: Leaders from across opposition parties, including Jayaprakash Narayan, hold a big rally in Delhi. They call for non-stop protests demanding that Indira step down.
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June 24, 1975: The Supreme Court gives a mixed decision—Indira can stay on as Prime Minister, but she can’t vote in Parliament or enjoy regular MP privileges.
Emergency Is Declared
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June 25, 1975: Late that night, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed signs off on Emergency Rule based on Indira’s advice. This gives the central government extraordinary powers.
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June 26, 1975: Indira goes live on All India Radio and tells the country, “The President has proclaimed Emergency. This is nothing to panic about. We must remain calm and united.”
What Emergency Really Looked Like
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The government imposes strict measures. Opposition leaders are imprisoned, protests are prohibited, and newspapers cannot publish without censorship.
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September 1976: The bloody side of things looms up. Sanjay Gandhi, son of the Prime Minister, started a mass forced sterilization program in Delhi. Poor men were forcibly given vasectomies—for some, even without getting proper consent. This operation raised a storm of public outrage.
A Sudden Shift in Tone
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January 18, 1977: Out of the blue, Indira Gandhi announces that elections will be held again. She also frees political prisoners.
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January 20, 1977: The Lok Sabha is dissolved, bringing the Emergency Parliament term to an end.
The Fall of the Congress
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February 11, 1977: President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed dies while still in office.
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March 16, 1977: Elections are held, and the results shock everyone—Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay both lose their seats.
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March 21, 1977: The Emergency officially ends.
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March 24, 1977: Morarji Desai becomes Prime Minister as the Janata Party comes to power.
Looking Back at Those 21 Months
Though the Emergency may have been declared for the alleged purpose of “saving the country,” it felt instead, from many an Indian’s point of view, as losing one’s voice. Civil rights were suspended; the media was gagged; fear ruled the streets.
Indira Gandhi justified the action, saying it was necessary for the unity of the country, yet many look upon that period as a cautionary tale of what may ensue when democracy is cast aside.
With the anniversary of the Emergency being marked by India each year, it eternally tells a story of staying watchful, speaking up, and safeguarding the democratic values on which the country was laid.
