Question

Explain any two lessons learnt from the Emergency declared in 1975.

Hint:

One lesson is that a ruler cannot take away rights for long in a democracy. Another is that the law on emergency was tightened.

Answer 1

Step 1: Understand the question:
The question asks for two lessons that India learnt from the Emergency of 1975-77.
Each lesson must be stated and explained in a few lines, for 2 marks each.

Step 2: Lesson 1: Democracy cannot be easily set aside:
The Emergency showed that it is hard to run India without the support of the people.
In the 1977 election, voters rejected the party that had imposed the Emergency.
So the people themselves are the final guard of democracy.

Step 3: Lesson 2: Constitutional safeguards are needed:
The 44th Amendment (1978) allowed an emergency only for external aggression or armed rebellion.
It made the written advice of the Cabinet necessary for the President and required approval of Parliament.
These steps stop a government from using emergency powers for its own gain.

Final Answer:
Two lessons: (1) the voters will defend democracy, and (2) emergency provisions now carry strong constitutional safeguards.