The Crisis of Democratic Order- Class 12 Political Science

Class 12 Political Science Chapter 6 The crisis of democratic order describes the situation between the government and judiciary. The chapter explains when the judiciary and the government beat each other’s opponents which also led to the Kesavananda Bharati Case. The chapter is divided so many major parts including the Background of the Emergency, the Declaration of Emergency, Different Controversies regarding the Emergency, and Politics after the Emergency.

In this article, we are going to discuss the Class 12 Political Science Chapter 6 which is entitled The Crisis of democratic order in detail.

Background Of Emergency

• Indira Gandhi became a popular political leader of Congress at this time. In this time the competition between the parties became more polarized. Their relationship with the opposition became more bitter.
• During this period, the relationship between the government and the judiciary faced more tension. The Supreme Court started to criticize the government for its new policies.
• The Congress party also started to make allegations on the judiciary and said that the court is the most conservative institution.
• As per the Congress party. the court became an obstacle at this time that was not with the government in applying the welfare programs.

Economic Contexts

• In the 1971 elections, Congress contested the election on the basis of poverty. The “Garibi Hatao” slogan became more popular at this time.
• After the formation of the government, there was no such improvement happening in the country. The crisis in Bangladesh leads to lots of migration to India.
• After the USA aid, industrial growth declined and the rate of unemployment became so high. The government froze the salaries of the employees which leads to further dissatisfaction.
• The non-congress parties organized so many protests and it also increased the activities of the Marxists groups.

Gujarat – Bihar Movements and Some Others

• In January 1974; so many students in Gujarat started the protest against the government due to the rising food prices. The major opposition also joined this movement and it became violent in Gujarat and Bihar.
• Congress was defeated very badly in the Gujarat assembly elections in 1975. The JP Narayan lead the student movement.
• In 1967, the Naxal Movement took place in the Naxalbari region of West Bengal under the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
• The Railways Strike took place in 1974 which was a nationwide protest. George Fernandes was the leader of the protest.

Conflict With Judiciary

Three major issues happened between the government and the judiciary. These issues were related to the constitution where the government and judiciary became the opponents. Here are the three reasons as mentioned below.

• The parliament can abridge the Fundamental Rights and Supreme Court was against it.
• If parliament curtails any rights related to property, the court can reject the amendment.
• An amendment allows the parliament to abridge the Fundamental Rights of DPSP which was also rejected by the court.

Declaration Of Emergency

• On 12th June 1975, the Allahabad High Court declared that Indira Gandhi’s Lok Sabha contest was invalid.
• In its judgment, the high court clearly said that Indira Gandhi could not be the Prime Minister anymore and she could not be re-elected for the next six months as an MP.
• On 24th June, the Supreme Court of India granted a partial stay order on the High Court’s judgment.
• On 25th June 1975, Indira Gandhi recommended the President to impose a nationwide Emergency due to internal issues.

Lok Sabha Elections, 1977

• Jayaprakash Narayan became the face of the restoration of democracy.
• The Janata Party ensured that if they came into power, they would ensure the divination policy would not be there in India anymore.
• The Congress Party was defeated by the Janata Party and secured only 154 seats.
• Morarji Desai became the new prime minister of India but he lost the majority in 18 months.
• In the freash lok sabha election of 1980, the Janata Party was defeated by Congress again.

The Crisis of Democratic Order- FAQs

What do you mean by crisis of democratic order?

The Crisis of Democratic Order was some agitations which were seen as anti-Congress and rather than opposing the State governments, they were seen as protests against the leadership of Indira Gandhi. She believed that the movement was motivated by personal opposition to her.

What is democratic order?

The free democratic basic order can be defined as an order which excludes any form of tyranny or arbitrariness and represents a governmental system under a rule of law, based upon self-determination of the people as expressed by the will of the existing majority and upon freedom and equality.

When was the crisis of constitutional order?

The difference became clear in a series of events between 1973 and 1975 that brought new challenges to India’s democratic politics and the institutional balance sought by the Constitution. These developments led to the imposition of ’emergency’ in June 1975.

How many times emergency is imposed in India?

National Emergency in India has been declared 3 times – 1962 (China war), 1971 (Pakistan war), and 1975 (Internal Disturbances). National Emergency can be proclaimed by the President when he/she perceives threats to the nation from internal and external sources or from financial situations of crisis.

What happens when emergency is declared in India?

During a national emergency, many Fundamental Rights of Indian citizens can be suspended. The six freedoms under Right to Freedom are automatically suspended. By contrast, the Right to Life and Personal Liberty cannot be suspended according to the original Constitution.