“Not since India gained its independence from Britain in 1947 had it faced a constitutional crisis of such magnitude,” an article in TIME’s issue dated June 23, 1975, began, describing then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi being disqualified from her seat in the Indian Parliament after being found guilty of “campaign irregularities” in her 1971 re-election.
Two days later, exactly 40 years ago, Gandhi would declare a state of emergency in the South Asian nation, setting off nearly two years of widespread arrests, censorship of the press and severe curtailment of civil liberties to India’s millions of citizens. The 21-month period, known in India simply as the Emergency, represents one of the darkest periods of India’s political past.
As TIME wrote in a piece in its July 14, 1975 issue, three weeks into the Emergency:
There was no question that India and its imperious Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, were struggling through a political crisis that would profoundly affect the country’s future. The state of emergency, proclaimed on June 26 at Mrs. Gandhi‘s behest, had suspended political freedoms and given her near dictatorial powers.
India’s Elections: Snapshots From the World’s Biggest Vote
A Muslim voter waits in line to vote at a polling station on May 12, 2014 in Varanasi.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesA Muslim woman votes at a polling station on May 12, 2014 in Varanasi.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesSupporters of BJP leader Narendra Modi run as a helicopter carrying Modi takes off after a rally on May 10, 2014 in Robertsganj, near Varanasi.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesSupporters of the Congress Party stand in front of a poster showing Rahul Gandhi and his mother and party president Sonia Gandhi as they wait before a rally on May 10, 2014 in Varanasi.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesVeiled Muslim supporters of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal wait for his convoy to pass during a rally by the leader on May 9, 2014 in Varanasi.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesSupporters run past a banner showing BJP leader Narendra Modi at a rally by the leader on May 8, 2014 in Rohaniya, near Varanasi.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesBJP leader Narendra Modi gestures to supporters while driving through the streets on May 8, 2014 in Varanasi.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesMuslim residents watch the convoy of BJP leader Narendra Modi as he drives in the street on May 8, 2014 in Varanasi.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesBJP leader Narendra Modi greets supporters as he is surrounded by bodyguards while driving through the streets on May 8, 2014 in Varanasi.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesSupporters of BJP leader Narendra Modi cheer during his speech at a rally by him on May 8, 2014 in Rohaniya, near Varanasi.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesBuddhist monks from the Drukpa lineage hold their voting cards as they wait outside a polling station to vote near the Hemis Monastery on May 7, 2014 in Hemis, Ladakh.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesLadkahis wait inside a polling station to vote near the Thiksey Monastery on May 7, 2014 in Thiksey, Ladakh.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesLadkahis wait outside a polling station to vote near the Thiksey Monastery on May 7, 2014 in Thiksey, Ladakh.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesSecurity force soldiers on election duty sit in a bus as they leave a central collection point to head for a polling station, on May 6, 2014 in Leh, Ladakh.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesSecurity force soldiers on election duty wait to leave a central collection point to head to secure polling stations, on May 6, 2014 in Leh, Ladakh.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesSupporters listen to a speech by BJP leader Narendra Modi at a rally on April 27, 2014 in Sidhuali near Lucknow.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesA disabled boy wears a mask of BJP leader Narendra Modi as he walks past a police checkpoint at a rally by Modi on April 25, 2014 in Bathinda, Punjab.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesSikh man wears a mask of BJP leader Narendra Modi as people crowd to hear his speech on April 25, 2014 in Bathinder, Punjab.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesTransgender Candidate Hijra Guru Baseer Kinnar aka Kamala Kinnar speaks to a resident while campaigning in a Muslim neighbourhood on April 23, 2014 in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesAAP leader and anti-corruption activist Arvin Kejriwal is surrounded by police bodyguards as he greets supporters from an open jeep on his way to file his nomination papers on April 23, 2014 in Varanasi.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesSupporters of ruling Congress Party listen during a speech by leader Rahul Gandhi during a rally on April 20, 2014 in Mumbai,.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesA supporter of ruling Congress Party wears a mask of leader Rahul Gandhi during a rally on April 20, 2014 in Mumbai.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesWomen wait to vote at a polling station on April 17, 2014 in the Jodhpur District in the desert state of Rajasthan.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesWomen wait to vote at a polling station on April 17, 2014 in the Jodhpur District in the desert state of Rajasthan.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesA woman casts her ballot at a polling station on April 17, 2014 in the Jodhpur District in the desert state of Rajasthan.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesA woman casts her ballot at a polling station on April 17, 2014 in the Jodhpur District in the desert state of Rajasthan.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesIndian women arrive to vote at a polling station on April 17, 2014 in the Jodhpur District in the desert state of Rajasthan.Kevin Frayer—Getty ImagesA family listens as Rahul Gandhi, leader of India's ruling Congress Party speaks at a rally on April 6, 2014 in New Delhi.Kevin Frayer—Getty Images
