In March  1977 the country faced general election when many non-congress opposition parties came together and formed  the  Janata party under the guidance of Jayaprakash Narain. Other political parties which opposed emergency regime like the CPM and DMK entered into an electoral alliance with the Janata Party. Although there was a nation wide anti-emergency wave with Indira Gandhi herself losing the battle in Rae Barely, the DMK – Janata CPM alliance in Tamilnadu could secure only four out of 40 seats including Pondicherry.

For the first time a non-congress government led by Morarji Desai assumed power at the centre. The new Janata Party government instituted inquiries into the atrocities in prisons and justice. Ismail Commission inquired about the atrocities in Tamil Nadu prisons. Two MISA detunes Chittibabu and Madurai Balakrishnan, both of the DMK lost their lives in the assault by the wardens and police personnel. Functionaries of the DMK, DK and CPM including Murasoli Maran, Arcot Veerasamy and Stalin who were subjected to atrocities testified before the Ismail commission Stalin deposed that they were locked in dark rooms, kicked with boot legs and repeatedly slapped on the cheeks. It was a deadly assault. They were provided with food mixed with neem oil, Idlies containing stones and pudding mixed with excess salt. There were only ten plates for 40 people. After beating him, Chittibabu, Arcot Veerasamy, Neela Narayanan and V.S.Govindarajan and turning them immobile, the wardens left and returned in 10 minutes and separated them and kept them in different cells. Others prisoners were allowed to freely move within the prison complex during daytime and were locked up only in the nights. But they were kept locked up round the clock.

Such depositions before the commission revealed how human rights were mindlessly violated. Prison experience not only altered Stalin forever but strengthened his determination to become part of the system that needed much reformation and radical changes.

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