Emergency 1975: A Dark Chapter Etched in Silence and Servility

Excerpts By Bajaru Shyam Prasad ( Advocate)

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Mulugu District Court advocate Bajaru Shyam Prasad went Onto say that, on June 25, 1975, Indian democracy witnessed one of its darkest moments when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of Emergency across the nation. The move, executed without due constitutional process, was abrupt and alarming. The fundamental question that still lingers is: why did the judiciary, civil services, and police—institutions designed to safeguard democracy—fail to resist? Why did they become silent spectators, or worse, willing accomplices?

Was the Emergency a Failure of One Individual or the Entire System?

The Emergency stands as a chilling reminder of how democratic frameworks can be subverted. The Constitution was effectively suspended, and civil liberties erased. But how did a single individual manage to overpower an entire democratic system so effortlessly? How did she secure the President's assent without resistance? And why did the administrative machinery, including the Cabinet, comply without objection?

In a democracy, governance is not the sole responsibility of the Prime Minister—it includes the Cabinet, bureaucracy, judiciary, and constitutional checks and balances. Why then did all these pillars of democracy remain passive? While some argue that revisiting the Emergency fifty years later is politically motivated, reflecting on this period is not merely about raking up the past. As the ancient Vedic verse reminds us—“Asato ma sadgamaya, tamaso ma jyotirgamaya”—from falsehood to truth, from darkness to light. This reflection is vital for drawing lessons that remain relevant even today.

Cabinet of Yes-Men: Servility Over Constitutional Duty