Question

Arrange the following events in chronological order :
(i) Declaration of National Emergency on the basis of internal disturbances.
(ii) Railway strike by government employees under the leadership of George Fernandes.
(iii) Sixth General Election held in India.
(iv) Declaration of the doctrine of ‘basic structure' of the Constitution in the ‘Keshavananda Bharti' case by the Supreme Court.
Choose the correct option :

• A. (iv), (ii), (i), (iii)
• B. (i), (iii), (iv), (ii)
• C. (iii), (ii), (i), (iv)
• D. (iv), (iii), (ii), (i)

Hint:

Key Emergency Era Timeline: 1973 (Basic Structure) $\rightarrow$ 1974 (Railway Strike) $\rightarrow$ 1975 (National Emergency) $\rightarrow$ 1977 (6th General Elections).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Concept: Chronological ordering requires identifying the precise historical year and month of major socio-political events in modern Indian political history, particularly around the era of the Democratic Resurgence and Emergency.

Step 1: Determining the exact timeline of each event.

• (iv) Kesavananda Bharati Case Ruling: The Supreme Court of India delivered its landmark judgment establishing the "Basic Structure Doctrine" of the Constitution on April 24, 1973.
• (ii) All-India Railway Strike: Led by the National Confederation of Railwaymen under George Fernandes, demanding better wages and service conditions, the strike took place in May 1974.
• (i) Declaration of National Emergency: Recommended by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on the grounds of "internal disturbance" under Article 352, President Fakhreddin Ali Ahmed declared the Emergency on the night of June 25, 1975.
• (iii) Sixth General Election: Held after the revocation of the National Emergency, this landmark election took place in March 1977, leading to the historic victory of the Janata Party.

Step 2: Arranging in chronological order.
Comparing the years: \[ \text{April 1973 (iv)} \longrightarrow \text{May 1974 (ii)} \longrightarrow \text{June 1975 (i)} \longrightarrow \text{March 1977 (iii)} \] The correct sequence is (iv), (ii), (i), (iii).