4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jun 25, 2026 09:57 AM IST
For the first time, the 1975-77 Emergency — one of the most turbulent episodes in post-Independence Indian history — finds a place in a Class 9 Social Science textbook, with NCERT framing it as one of the major challenges that Indian democracy had to endure and survive.
The new Social Science textbook, Understanding Society: India and Beyond, introduces the Emergency episode into the secondary school curriculum for the first time. NCERT has confirmed this to the news agency, ANI. An official speaking with the Agency stated that the earlier Class 9 textbook had no mention of the Emergency, but, as a part of the revised curriculum, a dedicated section has been added.
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It is also worth noting that India has recently crossed the 50-year mark since the Emergency was declared in 1975.
The chapter situates the Emergency within a broader examination of democratic strengths and vulnerabilities, treating it not as an isolated historical aberration but as a test of India’s constitutional framework. The book draws a direct line from the political discontent of the early 1970s — marked by economic hardship, joblessness, and growing disillusionment with the Indira Gandhi-led government — to the events that followed.
What does the section add about Emergency?
“One of the major challenges to democracy in India was recorded when an Emergency was imposed in 1975-77. In the early 1970s, public dissatisfaction with the government led by Indira Gandhi was growing. Rising unemployment, inflation, and allegations of misgovernance led to widespread protests,” the section reads.
“In June 1975, a National Emergency was imposed by the government on the grounds of internal disturbance. During this period, a majority of Fundamental Rights were suspended, the press was censored, and numerous political leaders and activists were arrested. Democratic institutions came under severe strain, and citizens’ freedom was restricted,” it added.
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Among the new chapter’s more notable choices is the prominence given to Jayaprakash Narayan, the veteran socialist leader widely known as Lok Nayak.
“Mass movements led by Jayaprakash Narayan — a political leader and socialist thinker, popularly known as Lok Nayak — mobilised students and citizens, especially in Bihar and Gujarat. The Emergency was lifted in 1977, and general elections were held, allowing people to express their will through the ballot. The defeat of the ruling government demonstrated the strength of Indian democracy and highlighted the importance of Democracy,” the book states.
Rather than treating the Emergency as the chapter’s sole preoccupation, NCERT has woven it into a wider conversation about what threatens democratic systems today. School students reading this chapter will find the Emergency placed in company with fake news, misinformation, destruction of public property, poverty, regionalism, caste discrimination and gender inequality.
Democracy and You
A newly added section, “Democracy and You”, aims to make students active participants in this conversation. Described by NCERT as a first-time inclusion, it is designed to bridge the gap between abstract constitutional principles and the lived experience of young citizens navigating an increasingly complex public sphere.
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The new textbook’s ambitions extend well beyond the Emergency. It traces the roots of democratic practice in India to ancient periods and charts the evolution of constitutional institutions.
The media, described in the book as the “fourth pillar of democracy”, receives a dedicated section, with the textbook emphasising its role in holding power to account and channelling public grievance into democratic discourse.