The Emergency (India)(26 June 1975 – 21 March 1977) BLACK PERIOD OF INDIAN HISTORY AFTER FREEDOM( PM INDIRA GANDHI))

The Indian Emergency of 26 June 1975 – 21 March 1977 was a 21-month period, when President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, upon request by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, declared a state of emergency under Article 352 of the Constitution of India, effectively bestowing on her the power to rule by decree, suspending elections and civil liberties. It is one of the most controversial times in the history of independent India.[2] Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan, a scholar of law, called it one of India’s “blackest hours”.
REASON===
Raj Narain, who had been defeated in parliamentary election by Indira Gandhi, lodged cases of election fraud and use of state machinery for election purposes against Gandhi in the Allahabad High Court. On 12 June 1975, Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha of the Allahabad High Court found the Prime Minister guilty on the charge of misuse of government machinery for her election campaign. The court declared her election null and void and unseated her from her seat in the Lok Sabha. The court also banned her from contesting any election for an additional six years. Some serious charges such as bribing voters and election malpractices were dropped and she was held responsible for misusing the government machinery, and found guilty on charges such as using the state police to build a dais, availing the services of a government officer, Yashpal Kapoor, during the elections before he had resigned from his position, and use of electricity from the state electricity department. Because the court unseated her on comparatively frivolous charges, while she was acquitted on more serious charges, The Times described it as ‘firing the Prime Minister for a traffic ticket’. However, strikes in labor and trade unions, student unions and government unions swept across the country. Protests led by J.P. Narayan, Raj Narain, Satyendra Narayan Sinha and Morarji Desai flooded the streets of Delhi close to the Parliament building and the Prime Minister’s residence. The persistent efforts of Raj Narain, were praised worldwide as it took over four years for Justice Jagmohan Lal Sinha to finally pass judgement against Gandhi. The ruling later became the primary reason for the imposition of emergency by Gandhi.