The various issues regarding the National Emergency of 1975 in India are as follows:
(a) There were arrests of political workers and undue restrictions on the press.
(b) The Emergency directly affected the lives of common people in many cases. Fundamental Rights of the people were suspended. Torture and custodial deaths occurred during the Emergency and arbitrary relocation of poor people also took place.
(c) The Constitution simply mentioned ‘internal disturbances’ as the reason for declaring Emergency. Before 1975, the Emergency was never proclaimed on this ground.
(d) Although the then government argued that in a democracy, the opposition parties must allow the elected ruling party to govern according to its policies. It felt that frequent recourse to agitations; protests and collective action are not good for democracy.
(e) Supporters of the then Prime Minister also held that in a democracy, one cannot continuously have extra-parliamentary politics targeting the government. This leads to instability and distracts the administration from its routine task of ensuring development.
