<p>It is 50 years since the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a national <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/emergency">Emergency </a>on June 25, 1975.</p><p>Citing threats to national security, Indira Gandhi invoked article 358 and 359 of the Constitution curbing freedom of expression, speech, assembly, and movement.</p><p><strong>Drastic changes</strong></p><p>India, a young democracy at the time, underwent changes in bureaucracy, policies and basic rights.</p><p>Civil liberties were suspended, opposition leaders jailed, the press gagged, and the Constitution was turned into a tool of absolute executive power.</p>.From Emergency to Today | Echoes of 1975 in India’s political landscape.<p>On June 28, when the <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/research/a-blank-editorial-how-ie-protested-censorship-during-emergency-5232599/">Indian Express </a>daily resumed publication after two days, it issued a front-page apology for being out of print for two days. But what caught the eye of the nation was when it left its editorial blank, which was a riposte to Indira Gandhi's government decision to suppress the press. </p><p>The courts were stripped of independent authority as the government took control of the judicial framework. </p><p>The rights of activities and journalists were restricted as they were imprisoned under draconian laws like the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA).</p>.From 'Aandhi' to 'Nasbandi': Films that faced censorship during Emergency.<p>Opposition leaders like Morarji Desai and Jyoti Basu were arrested for their unreserved opinions, bans were slapped on groups ranging from politically left to extreme right.</p><p>To add to the already existing restrictions on fundamental rights, another controversy was the large-scale unconsented sterilization programmes which were enforced on people in order to control population.</p><p>Simultaneously under a “Beautification” initiative many settlements were demolished causing displacement. The poor were hit the hardest, their homes taken away and the economy against them.</p>.Nail driven deeper in coffin of Indian democracy: JP's 'Prison Diary' poignant account of Emergency.<p>The so-called "Beautification" programme was termed as an urban “Clean up” or “Cleansing” by critics. The Emergency is predominantly seen as a period of social restraint, but can also be seen as a time of efficiency and order.</p><p>Trains ran on time, strikes vanished, production rose, crime fell, and prices dropped bringing into the Indian society much needed stability.</p>
<p>It is 50 years since the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a national <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/emergency">Emergency </a>on June 25, 1975.</p><p>Citing threats to national security, Indira Gandhi invoked article 358 and 359 of the Constitution curbing freedom of expression, speech, assembly, and movement.</p><p><strong>Drastic changes</strong></p><p>India, a young democracy at the time, underwent changes in bureaucracy, policies and basic rights.</p><p>Civil liberties were suspended, opposition leaders jailed, the press gagged, and the Constitution was turned into a tool of absolute executive power.</p>.From Emergency to Today | Echoes of 1975 in India’s political landscape.<p>On June 28, when the <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/research/a-blank-editorial-how-ie-protested-censorship-during-emergency-5232599/">Indian Express </a>daily resumed publication after two days, it issued a front-page apology for being out of print for two days. But what caught the eye of the nation was when it left its editorial blank, which was a riposte to Indira Gandhi's government decision to suppress the press. </p><p>The courts were stripped of independent authority as the government took control of the judicial framework. </p><p>The rights of activities and journalists were restricted as they were imprisoned under draconian laws like the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA).</p>.From 'Aandhi' to 'Nasbandi': Films that faced censorship during Emergency.<p>Opposition leaders like Morarji Desai and Jyoti Basu were arrested for their unreserved opinions, bans were slapped on groups ranging from politically left to extreme right.</p><p>To add to the already existing restrictions on fundamental rights, another controversy was the large-scale unconsented sterilization programmes which were enforced on people in order to control population.</p><p>Simultaneously under a “Beautification” initiative many settlements were demolished causing displacement. The poor were hit the hardest, their homes taken away and the economy against them.</p>.Nail driven deeper in coffin of Indian democracy: JP's 'Prison Diary' poignant account of Emergency.<p>The so-called "Beautification" programme was termed as an urban “Clean up” or “Cleansing” by critics. The Emergency is predominantly seen as a period of social restraint, but can also be seen as a time of efficiency and order.</p><p>Trains ran on time, strikes vanished, production rose, crime fell, and prices dropped bringing into the Indian society much needed stability.</p>
