Question

Why did Indira Gandhi proclaim the nationwide emergency on 25 June 1975?

Answer 1

1. Indira Gandhi proclaimed a nationwide emergency on 25^th June, 1975 due to a combination of political, legal, and internal security reasons.
2. The immediate cause was the Allahabad High Court’s decision on 12^th June, 1975, that she had committed electoral fraud and her 1971 Lok Sabha election was thrown out. This situation resulted in a political crisis and prompted calls for Indira Gandhi to resign.
3. At the same time, a huge movement of resistance led by Jayaprakash Narayan was growing stronger. They wanted her to step down and made many changes to the government.
4. Indira Gandhi told the President to declare an emergency under Article 352 of the Constitution because she was afraid that law and order would break down and that there were risks to national security and political stability.
5. This gave her government a lot of power and resulted in democratic rights and civil freedoms being taken away.