Allahabad High Court (Social Media)
June 12, 1975 — A date etched in the history of Indian democracy and judiciary as a milestone. On this day, Justice Jagmohan Lal Sinha of the Allahabad High Court invalidated the election of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency and barred her from contesting elections for six years. This landmark verdict became a defining moment for judicial independence in India. In direct response to this judgment, Indira Gandhi declared a national Emergency on the night of June 25, which plunged the nation into a 21-month-long period of suspended civil liberties—the darkest chapter of Indian democracy.
To mark the 50th anniversary of this historic verdict, the Indian Language Campaign (Kashi Province) organized a special discussion at the Allahabad High Court campus. Ashok Mehta, National Patron of the campaign and Additional Advocate General, addressed the gathering and shared several little-known and sensitive details about the case and the verdict that shook the nation's foundations.
In the 1971 general election, Raj Narayan, the opposition’s joint candidate from Rae Bareli, filed a petition challenging Indira Gandhi's election. The case was initially heard by multiple judges before being assigned to Justice Jagmohan Lal Sinha.
In a rare and bold move, Indira Gandhi chose to appear in court as a witness. Given her position as the Prime Minister, elaborate security measures were put in place. Her testimony was recorded in Courtroom No. 34, while she waited in Courtroom No. 35, which had been specially vacated for her. It was strictly instructed that no one should stand or greet her upon entry, and she was also provided a chair—an exception rarely granted to witnesses in court.
The petition filed by Raj Narayan included numerous allegations:
Deploying armed forces for electoral advantage
Justice Sinha upheld only two charges—misuse of government machinery and improper use of the army—and disqualified her election based on these grounds. The remaining allegations were dismissed due to lack of sufficient evidence.
According to Ashok Mehta, Justice Sinha had reserved his verdict as early as March 1975, but maintaining the confidentiality of the ruling was a major challenge. Rumors and intelligence probes were rampant. To avoid leaks, Justice Sinha dictated two versions of the judgment without the operative portion. The final operative paragraph was added just minutes before the verdict was pronounced on June 12, ensuring maximum secrecy until the last moment.
Immediately after the verdict, Indira Gandhi’s lawyer, V. N. Khare, hastily filed a handwritten request for a stay order. The court granted a 20-day conditional stay, allowing time to appeal. The case then moved to the Supreme Court, but before any final resolution, Indira Gandhi declared a nationwide Emergency on June 25, 1975.
Several senior advocates and law scholars participated in the discussion, including Ajay Kumar Mishra (Kashi Province Convenor), AP Mishra, Heramb Pandey, Pawan Rao, Manoj Dubey, Smriti Shukla, and Abhishek Singh, among others. The session reflected on the constitutional depth and contemporary relevance of the verdict and its far-reaching impact on India’s legal and political landscape.
The June 12, 1975 verdict stands as a timeless symbol of judicial courage, fairness, and constitutional propriety. But the subsequent declaration of Emergency just 13 days later also serves as a stark warning of how political power can be misused to undermine democratic institutions.
On the 50th anniversary, the lesson is clear: a vigilant citizenry and a fiercely independent judiciary are the cornerstones of a functioning democracy. The past must be remembered—not only to honor those who upheld justice, but also to ensure such overreach is never repeated.
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