The State Of Emergency: Dark Hours Of Indian Democracy

India is one of the largest democracies of the world. And to keep this democracy intact both the government and the people play an important role. An efficient political system is the lifeline of the Nation. But sometimes out of the blue, such situations emerge which require an immediate action by the public authorities under the power granted to them and that istermed as 'Emergency' . Even India cannot dodge this bullet . Focusing on it's concept , emergency is of three types i.e Financial emergency, National emergency and failure of constitutional machinery in the states or state emergency.

The Indian constitution is a beautiful patchwork as the makers of it had extracted the best things from different constitutions of the world . The constituent assembly acquired the emergency provisions from the Weimar Constitution of Germany after carefully analysing the vantage points inrelation with Indian circumstances . President can declare state emergency under article 356 , financial emergency under article 360 and national emergency under article 352.

Independent India has faced the situation of national emergency thrice . The first time was from the year 1962 to 1968 , during the Indo- China war . The emergency was declared onthe ground of 'threat by external agression'. The second time was in 1971 due to India - Pakistan war and the third was in 1975 when emergency was declared by President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, upon advice by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi , giving 'internal disturbance' as a reason for imposing it. It was the darkest period of Indian democracy. 'Drastic times call for drastic measures' . In National emergency, the government has the right to take away your fundamental rights which include the six freedoms under Right to Freedom; however, Right to Life and Personal Liberty cannot be suspended . And also the federal system of government can be converted into unitary . And under financial emergency the salaries of all the public servants are reduced.

Internal and External stability is earth-shaking for the economic growth and prosperity of the nation. No development can take place in political turmoil.