The Murder of the Indian Democracy

Indira Gandhi succeeded LB Shastri as the PM of India.

Her Term:

1. 24th January 1966 to 24th March 1977.

2. 14th January 1980 to 31st October 1984.

In these 15 years & 9 months, she amended the Constitution ‘32 times’.

#Constitution offers basic guidelines & principles for the efficient functioning of our nation. It dictates the fundamental political principles, powers & duties of the government & also enumerates the fundamental rights, directive principles & duties of the citizens. The Constitution was framed in a way to ensure that the Parliament does not have the power to override it. However, according to me, 3 amendments introduced in the Constitution during the #Emergency1975, tweaked this very characteristic of the Constitution.

38th Amendment Act, 1975.

1. It made me the declaration of emergency by the President ‘non-justiciable’.

2. It made the promulgation of ordinances by the President, Governors, and Administrators of UTs ‘non-justiciable’.

3. Empowered the President to declare different proclamations of national emergency on different grounds simultaneously.

39th Amendment Act, 1975.

• It placed the disputes relating to the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, and Speaker beyond the scope of the Judiciary.

42nd Amendment Act, 1976.

• The most controversial amendment introduced in the Constitution of India.

It was then when the powers of the Constitution were curtailed in the 42nd Amendment of the Constitution. Popularly known as the Constitution Act of 1976, the amendment to the Constitution was initiated by the Indira Gandhi-led INC Government during the #Emergency1975.

This amendment destroyed Indian Democracy to the core.

1. It attempted to reduce the power of the Supreme Court and High Courts in pronouncing judgments complying with the constitutional validity of laws.

2. It made the President of India bound by the advice of the council of ministers headed by the Prime Minister.

3. The amendment equipped the Prime Minister with uncontrolled powers to amend any section of the Constitution without any judicial intervention.

4. It transferred more powers to the Central Government, reducing the authority vested with the state governments.

5. The Preamble was changed from “sovereign, democratic, republic” to “sovereign, socialist, democratic, republic”.

By changing the Preamble of the Constitution, Indira Gandhi had destroyed democracy, in the words of #BabasahebAmbedkar.

Due to its utmost modifications of the Constitution, the amendment is often called “mini-Constitution” and the "Constitution of Indira”. The National Emergency of 1975 will always be a blot on the Indian Democracy.

It is really strange to see the followers of Indira Gandhi, who murdered the Indian Democracy in every possible way, preaching democratic values to the citizens of India.