The government declared a state of emergency soon after the tests, which intended to stop the outward flight of capital but it also denied the basic citizens rights under article 232 of the constitution. The next of the series discussed the issue to apprise the audience of the legal position of the government.

The dialogue observed that the outward flow of the capital could have checked by enforcing an ordinance as the state of emergency could be imposed only under severe circumstances like war or serious internal disturbance. Interestingly all the major clauses were imposed except those which particularly dealt with a financial emergency. Though, the role of Pakistan in the nuclear gambit had only remained reciprocative but there was no emergency imposed in India. The imposition of emergency could only be viewed as a tool to curb all sorts of criticisms  on the decision to explode the nuclear devices. People have neither been consulted while taking the decision to conduct the test, nor they had been consulted while imposing emergency. There is no organised political force that could help evolve a national consensus so as to influence the decision making. 

The emergency also resulted in concentration of power with the centre, which may also adversely effect its already conflicting relations with the provinces.

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