Reading the Emergency: 50 years on

Indian Express

24-06-2025

Fifty years ago, on June 25, 1975, India was plunged into its darkest democratic crisis, the Emergency. Declared by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, it suspended civil liberties, censored the press, and saw mass arrests of opposition leaders. The 21-month period remains a defining chapter in India's political history, raising urgent questions about power, authoritarianism, and resistance.
To mark its 50th anniversary, we recommend seven books that capture the Emergency's complexities: from firsthand accounts and political analyses to literary retellings. These works illuminate not just the past but also its echoes in contemporary India.
A former IAS officer and close associate of Jayaprakash Narayan (JP), Devasahayam offers a searing critique of the Emergency and draws parallels with India's current political climate. As the custodian of JP during his imprisonment, the author provides rare insights into the resistance movement. The book interrogates who truly safeguards democracy: politicians, institutions, or citizens? Devasahayam's personal narrative, combined with political analysis, makes this a compelling read for those examining the fragility of democratic norms.
A gripping memoir by veteran journalist Coomi Kapoor, this book recounts the terror of the Emergency through her family's ordeal. Her husband was jailed under draconian laws, her brother-in-law (Subramanian Swamy) went underground, and she faced constant surveillance. Kapoor's vivid storytelling exposes the human cost of authoritarianism: forced sterilizations, slum demolitions, and press censorship. A must-read for its raw, personal perspective on the darkest chapter in Indian democracy.
Raghavan's meticulously researched biography examines Indira Gandhi's premiership, with a significant focus on the Emergency. Rather than reducing her to a dictator, he contextualises her decisions within India's turbulent 1970s: economic crises, political instability, and her centralisation of power. The book challenges simplistic narratives, offering a nuanced portrait of one of India's most polarising leaders.
Veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar, a fierce critic of the Emergency, compiles a detailed chronicle of the events leading to its imposition. Drawing from interviews and reportage, he highlights JP's anti-corruption movement, Indira Gandhi's electoral malpractice, and the crackdown on dissent. Nayar's work remains vital for understanding the media's role, and its suppression, during the crisis.
This academic yet accessible study dissects the structural underpinnings of the Emergency. Jaffrelot and Pratinav explore Sanjay Gandhi's unchecked power, the complicity of bureaucrats and business elites, and the surprising regional variations in repression (South India faced fewer excesses). A rigorous analysis of how authoritarianism takes root in democracies.
It is a blow-by-blow account of the 1975 case Indira Gandhi v Raj Narain in which the High Court, for the first time in the history of independent India, set aside the election of a Prime Minister. Using court documents, Bhushan etches a tapestry of the backdoor dealings and abuses of legislative power that allowed Gandhi to impose and maintain a state of Emergency.
Though a novel, Mistry's Booker-shortlisted masterpiece captures the Emergency's human toll like no nonfiction account can. Through the lives of tailors, students, and beggars, he portrays state brutality, forced sterilizations, and the resilience of ordinary people. A haunting, deeply moving work of fiction that makes history visceral.