What specific lessons can we draw for Indian democracy from the declaration of Emergency of June 25, 1975 ?

(i) Aithogh the normal democratic functioning resumed within a short span of time, one important lesson of Emergency is that it is extremely difficult to do away with democracy in India.

(ii) Secondly it brought out some ambiguities regarding the Emergency provision in the Constitution that have been rectified since.

(iii) Now ‘internal’ emergency can be proclaimed only on the ground of ‘armed rebellion’ and it is necessary that the advice to the President to proclaim Emergency must be given in writing by the Council of Ministers.

(iv) During Emergency the judiciary could not protect the civil liberties of the people. Emergency made everyone more aware of the value of civil liberties. The courts too have now taken active part in the protection of civil liberties of individual after the Emergency.

(v) The Emergency has also shown that there should be a balance between routine functioning of a democratic government and the continuous political protests by parties and groups.

(vi) It also established the fact that the administration and the police became vulnerable to political pressures.