As BJP observes its 43rd anniversary as 'Black Day', let's look back at the 1975 Emergency

The Emergency refers to a 21-month period between June 25, 1975 and March 21, 1977

June 25 often brings back memories of threatened democratic rights — taken away for 21 months after then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency in 1975.

To mark this occasion, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is observing June 25 as a 'black day'.

What is Emergency? 

The Emergency refers to a 21-month period between June 25, 1975 and March 21, 1977. It was officially issued by then president Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed under Article 352 of the Constitution due to prevailing "internal disturbances". Article 352 of the Constitution granted the Prime Minister 'extraordinary powers'.

Indira Gandhi had imposed the Emergency after Allahabad High Court and subsequently, the Supreme Court, found her election to the Lok Sabha 'null and void'. Following this announcement, protests and strikes swept the country. The then government stated threat to national security and bad economic conditions as reasons for declaration of Emergency.

With suspension of fundamental rights, several citizens, journalists and politicians including opposition leaders like Vijayaraje Scindia, Jaiprakash Narayan, Morarji Desai, Chaudhary Charan Singh, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani were arrested without any trial.

Media right were also censured during the period.

Fresh elections were called after the Emergency officially ended. Congress lost by a large margin, resulting in the Janata Party's Morarji Desai becoming the first non-Congress Prime Minister of India.

In June 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said the Emergency was the darkest time in the history of India. In his monthly radio programme 'Mann ki Baat', PM Modi had said it was essential to remember the incidents which have caused harm to democracy and move ahead towards the positives of democracy.