Cabinet Passes Resolution Condemning The Imposition Of 1975 Emergency
To mark the 50th year since the imposition of Emergency, a two-minute silence was observed in the Cabinet meeting.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, condemned the imposition of Emergency five decades ago by the then PM Indira Gandhi.
In a resolution, the Cabinet labelled the date of imposition of Emergency—June 25, 1975—as "Samvidhan Hatya Divas" or the day when the Constitution was murdered.
"The year 2025 marks 50 years of the Samvidhan Hatya Divas - an unforgettable chapter in the history of India where the Constitution was subverted, and the republic and democratic spirit of India were attacked. Federalism was undermined, and fundamental rights, human liberty, and dignity were suspended," said Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, while reading out the resolution before the press.
The Cabinet resolved to "commemorate and honour the sacrifices" of countless individuals who valiantly resisted the Emergency and its attempt at subversion of the spirit of the Indian Constitution", he added.
To mark the occasion, a two-minute silence was observed in the Cabinet meeting as a "tribute" to those whose constitutionally guaranteed democratic rights "were taken away and who were then subjected to unimaginable horrors", the resolution added.
Notably, the period of Emergency was imposed by Indira Gandhi in 1975, and it lasted for 21 months till March 21, 1977. In the general elections that followed, the Gandhi-led Congress party was voted out of power for the first time.
The resolution passed by the Cabinet said it is "as important for the young as it is for the old to draw inspiration from those who resisted dictatorial tendencies" and stood firm to defend the Constitution and its democratic fabric.
In India's 77 years of Independence so far, national emergencies have declared thrice under Article 352 of the Constitution. The first two instances were during the India-China war in 1962 and India-Pakistan war in 1971. The third time, in 1975, it was imposed under the pretext of internal disturbance, which was later amended to armed rebellion.
