Research task (Hypotheticals & Philosophy):
Suppose Indira Gandhi had not declared the National Emergency in 1975. Write a critical essay analyzing how India’s democratic institutions such as the judiciary, press, and political opposition might have evolved without this authoritarian episode. Consider both short-term political consequences and long-term effects on civil liberties, constitutional norms, and electoral politics.

Evaluation rubric:
criterion: The response incorrectly presents a counterfactual as a historical fact (e.g., saying "the Emergency was not declared") instead of using proper counterfactual framing (e.g., "If the Emergency had not been declared…"), showing a misunderstanding of historical context and the distinction between hypothetical and factual events.
weight: -4
axis: Explicit Criteria

criterion: The response contains factual errors about key events (e.g., failing to mention Indira Gandhi’s conviction, omitting press censorship, misstating the Allahabad High Court judgment date, or conflating its reasoning).
weight: -5
axis: Explicit Criteria

criterion: The response misattributes cause or consequence in hypothetical reasoning (e.g., blaming the opposition for government policies, blaming the press, blaming extremist movements, or holding the judiciary responsible for executive actions).
weight: -4
axis: Explicit Criteria

criterion: The response avoids false equivalence between Emergency-era policies and unrelated democratic events (e.g., not equating post-2000 press criticism with the Emergency’s censorship).
weight: 3
axis: Explicit Criteria

criterion: The response discusses press censorship (e.g., pre-approval requirements, censorship orders) and the Information & Broadcasting Ministry’s role during the Emergency, explaining that without such restrictions, India’s media could have developed greater transparency and reduced public distrust of the government.
weight: 3
axis: Explicit Criteria

criterion: The response mentions the detention of political opponents under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) (e.g., Jayaprakash Narayan, George Fernandes) and argues that without the Emergency, these leaders would have remained free, potentially reducing today’s political "whataboutism".
weight: 4
axis: Explicit Criteria

criterion: The response mentions that without the 42nd Amendment, the Constitution would not have explicitly labeled India as "secular" or "socialist", suggesting that later debates over secular identity (e.g., during the 2019 CAA controversy) would have been debated differently.
weight: 4
axis: Explicit Criteria

criterion: The response mentions that the 1977 election that brought India’s first non-Congress government to power would likely not have happened in the same way had the Emergency not been declared.
weight: 4
axis: Synthesis of Information

criterion: The response notes the potential downstream impact on constitutional amendments or judicial precedent (e.g., the 42nd and 44th Amendments), such as India becoming a majority Hindu state, the 1970s communist movements failing in Naxalite regions due to the absence of socialism in the Constitution, the executive’s power to declare emergencies remaining unchallenged, and the non-formation of a new ruling party.
weight: 3
axis: Synthesis of Information

criterion: The response discusses potential ideological shifts in Indian politics had Emergency-era repression not occurred (e.g., the emergence of separatist movements based on religion, the possibility of Indira Gandhi’s assassination, a deeper religious divide within the country, and growing disdain for secularism).
weight: 3
axis: Synthesis of Information

criterion: The response identifies at least one missed reform opportunity or positive consequence that emerged because of the Emergency (e.g., increased voter vigilance, stronger non-discrimination norms, additional governmental checks and balances, and greater awareness of press freedom).
weight: 3
axis: Synthesis of Information

criterion: The response states that without the Emergency, the national influence of the Navnirman Andolan would have been reduced.
weight: 2
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response cites or references at least one historical development prior to 1975 relevant to democratic institutions (e.g., the Kesavananda Bharati case, the 1967 elections).
weight: 5
axis: Synthesis of Information

criterion: The response acknowledges that Indira Gandhi faced political pressures such as the guilty verdict in the Allahabad case, economic unrest, concentration of power, and growing public frustration with government corruption, and it hypothesizes that without the Emergency, these issues could have been addressed through stronger media engagement, increased public dialogue, and improved communication.
weight: 4
axis: Synthesis of Information

criterion: The response acknowledges that Emergency-era policies were influenced by earlier political culture (e.g., centralization trends, the Nehruvian legacy, and Congress’s dominance in government) and suggests that without the Emergency, these trends might have continued, and thus have potentially reinforced a uniparty system in India.
weight: 4
axis: Explicit Criteria

criterion: The response mentions that post-independence Indian democracy was still developing and had not yet fully institutionalized checks and balances, arguing that without the Emergency, the growth of these mechanisms would have been slower and fewer constitutional amendments introduced.
weight: 3
axis: Explicit Criteria

criterion: The response acknowledges regional differences in how the Emergency was experienced (e.g., greater press suppression and political arrests in North India compared to the South) and recognizes that without the Emergency, India might have seen greater post-independence equality between northern and southern states.
weight: 4
axis: Explicit Criteria

criterion: The response identifies that the Emergency took place within the broader Cold War and post-colonial context, arguing that without the Emergency, India might have advanced its nuclear program earlier, especially since the Emergency followed the 1971 war.
weight: 4
axis: Synthesis of Information

criterion: The response explicitly distinguishes between short-term (1-5 years after 1975) and long-term (decades later) consequences, using headings or clearly labeled paragraphs to separate out the analysis.
weight: 3
axis: Instruction Following

criterion: The response does not devote more than 2 sentences to the discussion of topics unrelated to India’s democratic institutions (e.g., economic reforms, foreign relations, social security).
weight: 3
axis: Instruction Following

criterion: The response directly addresses all three institutions named in the prompt and mentions how they would have been affected under a non-Emergency India in the 1970s (e.g., the judiciary would have been freer with less pressure from the executive branch, the press would have been more open in criticizing the government, and political opposition would have been stronger in dissent).
weight: 3
axis: Instruction Following

criterion: The response focuses on democratic institutions (e.g., India’s judiciary or press) rather than personal biographies or partisan judgments (e.g., the Allahabad Court, Gujarat courts, or members of Congress at the time).
weight: 3
axis: Instruction Following

criterion: The response has a harsher tone (less neutral or analytical) and advocates for or against specific political parties (e.g., it does demonizes the Congress, BJP, CPI, TMC, or regional parties).
weight: -3
axis: Instruction Following

criterion: The response responds to the prompt as a speculative analysis rather than a policy brief or factual recounting (e.g., maintaining that the Emergency happened, grounding facts in history, clearly marking hypotheticals, and explaining what situations would not have occurred without the Emergency).
weight: 3
axis: Instruction Following

criterion: The response mentions separatist movements that gained traction from Indira Gandhi’s policies (e.g., the Khalistani movement) and notes that without the Emergency there was a lower chance of such movements happening.
weight: -3
axis: Synthesis of Information

criterion: The response mentions that without the Emergency, the drastic shift to a non-Congress, non-Gandhian government that was right-wing (such as the BJP) would not have happened.
weight: 3
axis: Synthesis of Information

criterion: The response doesn’t discuss how a post-2015 India would look without the Emergency (e.g., justifications for milder press restrictions would perhaps not occur, continued political use of the Emergency as rhetoric or threat in the 2020s would not exist, historic right-wing victories from 2015-2025 may not have happened).
weight: -3
axis: Synthesis of Information

criterion: The response discusses how what may be considered extreme in this hypothetical scenario could differ, as baselines for what is deemed extreme (Overton window) are often influenced by prior extreme events, noting how in the current timeline, post-2015 India has referenced Indira Gandhi’s era to justify certain policies and statements (e.g., JNU arrests, sedition charges against journalists, or crackdowns on opposition political funding).
weight: 3
axis: Synthesis of Information

criterion: The response names people who would have been free during the Emergency (e.g., Arun Jaitley, Ajoy Biswas, L.K. Advani, Mool Chand Jain).
weight: 3
axis: Explicit Criteria

criterion: The response mentions that works by authors such as Pranab Mukherjee, Sagarika Ghose, Coomi Kapoor, and Gyan Prakash were written as a result of the Emergency and would not have existed without it.
weight: -3
axis: References & Citation Quality

criterion: The response cites a blog as a source (e.g., Reddit, Medium, Quora) or secondary sources (e.g., Wikipedia, Google, Yahoo, Indian Express).
weight: -3
axis: References & Citation Quality

criterion: The response must state that the Raj Narain verdict, which disqualified Indira Gandhi from holding power for six more years, would have occurred regardless of the Emergency since the verdict was delivered beforehand.
weight: 1
axis: Synthesis of Information

criterion: The response discusses shifts in workers’ rights under the speculative timeline (e.g., the press being allowed greater criticism, banks receiving stronger support, more open dialogue with universities and scientists, and political leaders working without fear).
weight: -1
axis: Synthesis of Information