Gandhi Declares Emergency: India's Democracy Curtailed
The Allahabad High Court found Prime Minister Indira Gandhi guilty of election fraud on June 12, 1975, for using government resources and officials in her 1971 campaign. Justice Jagmohan Lal Sinha voided her election, barred her from holding office for six years, and ordered her to vacate her parliamentary seat. Rather than comply, Gandhi advised President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed to declare a state of emergency on June 25, 1975, suspending civil liberties, censoring the press, and arresting thousands of political opponents. The Emergency lasted 21 months. Gandhi imposed forced sterilization programs that affected millions. When she finally called elections in March 1977, she was overwhelmingly defeated. She returned to power in 1980 and was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984.
June 12, 1975
51 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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