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Freedom on the Net 2025

India

Partly Free
51
100
A Obstacles to Access 15 25
B Limits on Content 19 35
C Violations of User Rights 17 40
Last Year's Score & Status
50 100 Partly Free
Scores are based on a scale of 0 (least free) to 100 (most free). See the methodology and report acknowledgements.
India_hero

header1 Key Developments, June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025

Internet freedom in India remained under strain. Online censorship escalated during a four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan in May 2025, which followed an April 2025 terrorist attack near Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir.

  • Authorities in the state of Manipur imposed a weeks-long internet shutdown during protests in November 2024, though the disruption was markedly less severe than a 200-day shutdown recorded in Manipur during the previous coverage period (A3 and B8).1
  • In the aftermath of the April 2025 Pahalgam terrorist attack, Indian authorities enforced website blocks, ordered the removal of online content, and arrested people for their online commentary.2 The censorship measures focused on Pakistani media outlets, independent Indian media sites, and general discussion about the attack (B1, B2, and C3).3
  • Media agency Asian News International sued the Wikimedia Foundation over an unfavorable description on the Wikipedia page about the outlet. The lawsuit sought to deanonymize the Wikipedia contributors who edited the page. The page was suspended from October 2024 to April 2025 pursuant to a court order (B2 and C4).4
  • The government-run Grievance Appellate Committees (GACs), which allow users to appeal content moderation decisions taken by social media platforms, handled more than 2,000 requests between October 2023 and January 2025. Social media companies reportedly complied with all but a few determinations issued by the GACs, though they were not publicly disclosed (B2 and B3).5
  • Online journalists Mukesh Chandrakar and Raghvendra Bajpai were murdered in separate incidents in January and March 2025, respectively, likely in retaliation for their reporting on local corruption.6 Several others were arrested for their work during the coverage period (C3 and C7).7

header2 Political Overview

While India is a multiparty democracy, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has presided over discriminatory policies and a rise in persecution affecting Muslims. The constitution guarantees civil liberties including freedom of expression and freedom of religion, but harassment of journalists, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and other government critics has increased significantly under Modi. The BJP has increasingly used government institutions to target political opponents. Muslims, scheduled castes (Dalits), and scheduled tribes (Adivasis) remain economically and socially marginalized.

header3 Note

Indian-administered Kashmir, which since 2019 has consisted of two union territories, is not covered in this report. Certain territories that are assessed separately in Freedom House’s Freedom in the World report are also excluded from the relevant country reports in Freedom on the Net, as conditions in such territories differ significantly from those in the relevant countries. Freedom in the World reports assess the level of political rights and civil liberties in a given geographical area, regardless of whether they are affected by the state, nonstate actors, or foreign powers. Related, disputed, or occupied territories are sometimes assessed separately from the relevant countries if they meet certain criteria, including distinct conditions for political rights and civil liberties and boundaries that are sufficiently stable to allow year-on-year comparisons. For more information, see the report methodology and FAQ.

This report has been abridged for Freedom on the Net 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.

A Obstacles to Access

A1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do infrastructural limitations restrict access to the internet or the speed and quality of internet connections? 4.004 6.006
A2 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Is access to the internet prohibitively expensive or beyond the reach of certain segments of the population for geographical, social, or other reasons? 2.002 3.003
A3 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does the government exercise technical or legal control over internet infrastructure for the purposes of restricting connectivity? 3.003 6.006

Score Change: The score improved from 2 to 3 because internet shutdowns imposed by Indian authorities were less severe than during previous coverage periods, though short-term and localized shutdowns remained common.1

A4 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are there legal, regulatory, or economic obstacles that restrict the diversity of service providers? 4.004 6.006
A5 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do national regulatory bodies that oversee service providers and digital technology fail to operate in a free, fair, and independent manner? 2.002 4.004

B Limits on Content

B1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does the state block or filter, or compel service providers to block or filter, internet content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? 3.003 6.006
B2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do state or nonstate actors employ legal, administrative, or other means to force publishers, content hosts, or digital platforms to delete content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? 1.001 4.004
B3 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do restrictions on the internet and digital content lack transparency, proportionality to the stated aims, or an independent appeals process? 2.002 4.004
B4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do online journalists, commentators, and ordinary users practice self-censorship? 3.003 4.004
B5 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Are online sources of information controlled or manipulated by the government or other powerful actors to advance a particular political interest? 1.001 4.004
B6 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are there economic or regulatory constraints that negatively affect users’ ability to publish content online? 2.002 3.003
B7 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the online information landscape lack diversity and reliability? 3.003 4.004
B8 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do conditions impede users’ ability to mobilize, form communities, and campaign, particularly on political and social issues? 4.004 6.006

C Violations of User Rights

C1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do the constitution or other laws fail to protect rights such as freedom of expression, access to information, and press freedom, including on the internet, and are they enforced by a judiciary that lacks independence? 4.004 6.006
C2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Are there laws that assign criminal penalties or civil liability for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? 2.002 4.004
C3 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are individuals penalized for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? 3.003 6.006

Score Change: The score improved from 2 to 3 because no prison sentences were imposed in relation to online expression, though internet users continued to face arrests and short-term detentions for commentary on political, social, and religious topics.1

C4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the government place restrictions on anonymous communication or encryption? 2.002 4.004
C5 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does state surveillance of internet activities infringe on users’ right to privacy? 1.001 6.006
C6 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does monitoring and collection of user data by service providers and other technology companies infringe on users’ right to privacy? 2.002 6.006
C7 1.00-5.00 pts0-5 pts
Are individuals subject to extralegal intimidation or physical violence by state authorities or any other actor in relation to their online activities? 1.001 5.005

Score Change: The score declined from 2 to 1 because two online journalists were killed in retaliation for their reporting.

C8 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are websites, governmental and private entities, service providers, or individual users subject to widespread hacking and other forms of cyberattack? 2.002 3.003

On India

See all data, scores & information on this country or territory.

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Country Facts

  • Population

    1,417,170,000

  • Global Freedom Score

    63 100 partly free

  • Internet Freedom Score

    51 100 partly free

  • Freedom in the World Status

    Partly Free

  • Networks Restricted

    Yes

  • Websites Blocked

    Yes

  • Pro-government Commentators

    Yes

  • Users Arrested

    Yes