Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, addressing students at the Golden Jubilee of Kumaon University, called the 1975 Emergency a catastrophic “earthquake” that nearly destroyed India’s democracy. Recounting the imposition of Emergency as a dark turning point, he said it was declared not in national interest but to serve the then Prime Minister’s personal agenda after an adverse court ruling, with the President bypassing constitutional norms.
He noted that 140,000 people were jailed without recourse to justice, and while nine High Courts upheld citizens’ Fundamental Rights, the Supreme Court overturned them, asserting those rights did not apply during Emergency. Dhankhar hailed dissenting judge H. R. Khanna as a lone guardian of democratic values, recalling a U.S. newspaper’s remark that if democracy returned to India, a monument would be built to honor him.
Describing June 25 as Samvidhan Hatya Diwas, he urged youth to reflect on the loss of press freedom and political repression that followed, emphasizing the need to remember this period so it is never repeated. He said some of those jailed later became Presidents and Prime Ministers, underscoring how deeply the Emergency altered India’s political future.
Dhankhar also urged academic institutions to become “organic crucibles of ideation and innovation” where failure is not feared, and ideas flourish. He called on students to shape not just their careers but the destiny of Bharat. Promoting alumni contributions, he suggested that regular donations from graduates could make institutions self-sustaining and foster deeper mentorship connections.
