RAS question
The President can proclaim a National Emergency under Article 352 on the grounds of:
Correct answer: (C) War, external aggression or armed rebellion.
Under Article 352, a National Emergency may be proclaimed only when the security of India or any part of its territory is threatened by war, external aggression or armed rebellion.
Explanation
Article 352 is tested for its post-44th Amendment wording, not for the broader idea of emergency powers. The Constitution (Forty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1978 substituted the phrase "armed rebellion" for "internal disturbance" in Article 352. Its official statement explains the point directly: a Proclamation of Emergency can issue only when the security of India, or any part of its territory, is threatened by war, external aggression or armed rebellion. It also says that internal disturbance not amounting to armed rebellion is not enough. That is why option C is the current constitutional position, while the older phrase "internal disturbance" is a trap based on pre-amendment wording.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) War and external aggression are valid grounds, but this option omits armed rebellion, which was made a ground under the 44th Amendment wording.
- (B) This keeps the old expression "internal disturbance", which the 44th Amendment replaced with the narrower ground of armed rebellion.
- (D) Failure of constitutional machinery in states is tied to President's Rule under Article 356, not a National Emergency under Article 352.
Concept
This tests Emergency Provisions, especially the constitutional limits on National Emergency after the 44th Amendment. It recurs in RAS because the exam often asks how constitutional amendments changed executive emergency powers.