In a State of Emergency

The narrative explores how attempts were made for the calculated erosion of India's Constitution under PM Indira Gandhi

- - GANESH SAILI

IF ifty years ago, Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha of the Allahabad High Court set aside the election of Indira Gandhi as null and void.

She got a stay from the Supreme Court. It allowed her to attend the Lok Sabha, but not vote. An emergency was declared at midnight on June 25, 1975. Later, the constitution was shredded and lay in tatters, a subject greatly dealt with in Our Constitution: Distortions Done By Smt. Indira Gandhi During Emergency by Dr HV Hande.

The Emergency affected the lives of ordinary people. Take Snehalata Reddy in the deep south, for instance, who was picked up on political suspicion and thrown into the Bangalore Central Jail in May 1976 without charges. As an actress, she knew people from all walks of life writers, painters, magicians, and above all, many young people. However, it was her friendship with George Fernandes that changed things. "The mere fact that she was a friend led to tragic consequences.

Overnight, her beautiful world collapsed, and a nightmare of fear and uncertainty began. Her daughter, Nandana, was held for questioning on two occasions, and the family was kept under surveillance," Hande writes.

On April 27, 1975, Snehalata and her husband Pattabhi Rama Reddy were supposed to travel to Madras to procure lights for a film shoot.

That afternoon, at around 4 pm, their daughter Nandana was taken from her home for questioning for the third time. She returned only at 7 pm, with no explanation of where she had been, leaving the family frantic with worry.