The Emergency enforced by late prime minister Indira Gandhi in on June 25, 1975, was an assault on the Indian Constitution, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday.
Addressing a gathering at the “Samvidhan Hatya Diwas” event with Governor CP Radhakrishnan at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai, Fadnavis said, “The Emergency, which was dark chapter in India’s history, also exposed how then Congress and its leadership misused power to retaining supremacy grossly violating all the Constitutional norms and legal rules.”
Emergency was declared following the conviction of Indira Gandhi by the Allahabad High Court for electoral malpractice. The court also struck down her election to Lok Sabha from Rae Bareli. As demands for her resignation grew, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed signed the Proclamation of Emergency late on the night of June 25.
“Basic rights were taken away, and the voice of the people was silenced,” said Fadnavis, adding, “Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the architect of our Constitution, called fundamental rights its soul. But during the Emergency, that very soul was crushed — civil liberties were suspended, voices were silenced, and the Constitution was reshaped through the 42nd Amendment…”
Recalling that hundreds of political leaders, including former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former deputy PM LK Advani, were jailed without trial, Fadnavis said media was not spared either. “It was gagged, censored, and forced to submit content for approval before publishing. Fear replaced freedom,” the CM said.
Adding that his father Gangadharrao Fadnavis was also imprisoned for standing up against the authoritarian regime, Fadnavis said, “Yet, the Emergency couldn’t break the spirit of democracy. In 1977, the people of India gave a powerful reply through the ballot.”
In Maharashtra, the Emergency Honorarium Scheme, reinstated in May 2025, continues to support those imprisoned — or their surviving spouses — during 1975–77. The Government has assured that this tribute to their sacrifice will never be discontinued, the CM said.
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Earlier, former Union minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad addressed media separately at BJPs office.
According to Prasad, “The Emergency was imposed by Indira Gandhi to retain her seat of power… Till date, Congress and its leaders have not sought public apology for inflicting torture on so many people. They have shown no regret for their act.”
