India imposes pre-press controls on every newspaper during the 1975 Emergency

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency on June 25, 1975, and the next day her government imposed pre-press controls on every Indian newspaper, requiring official clearance before publication and later forcibly merging the country's news agencies into one.¹

Country

India (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)

Where

India

Level of government

National

Tactics

Prior restraint, Licensing and closure of outlets

Stage

Silence (see the ladder)

Head of government at the time

Indira Gandhi

Issue of the day

A court had found Prime Minister Gandhi guilty of election malpractice shortly before the Emergency began, and her government cited threats to internal stability in declaring the state of emergency and imposing press press controls the next day.

Outcome

Reversed, March 21, 1977. Gandhi ended the Emergency and lifted press press controls on March 21, 1977, shortly before her party lost the general election that followed.

Era

The 1970s

What happened

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's government declared a national state of emergency on June 25, 1975, citing threats to internal stability after a court had found her guilty of election malpractice. On June 26, 1975, the government imposed pre-press controls on every newspaper in the country, requiring editors to obtain government clearance before publishing news reports, editorials or photographs. Government-appointed national and regional censors reviewed content and classified newspapers as friendly, neutral or critical depending on their editorial stance toward the government. Foreign correspondents faced prior screening of their telex dispatches from July 5, 1975, and the government cut power to newspaper offices in Delhi during the early days of enforcement. The Press Council of India, a statutory body meant to safeguard press standards, was abolished during the period, and on February 1, 1976, the government merged the country's four major news agencies into a single state-controlled entity called Samachar.¹²³

What reason was given

Gandhi's government said the emergency measures, including press press controls, were necessary to protect internal stability and public order at a time it described as a serious threat to the country.¹²³

What changed for reporting

Every Indian newspaper had to submit content for government clearance before publication, foreign correspondents' dispatches faced prior screening, the Press Council of India was abolished, and the country's news agencies were merged into a single state-controlled body.²

Timeline

Who acted

Sources

• The Emergency in IndiaPress Information Bureau, Government of India, reporting. Source record