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Censorship in India has taken various forms throughout its history. Although de jure the Constitution of India guarantees freedom of expression,[1] de facto there are various restrictions on content, with an official view towards "maintaining communal and religious harmony", given the history of communal tension in the nation. According to the Information Technology Rules 2011, objectionable content includes anything that "threatens the unity, integrity, defence, security or sovereignty of India, friendly relations with foreign states or public order".[2]
In 2024, the annual Freedom in the World report by Freedom House gave India an overall score of 66 out of 100, corresponding to a status of "partially free", with a Civil Liberties rating of 33 out of 60 and a score of 2 out of 4 for the specific question "Are there free and independent media?".[3] The analysis specifically noted that this did not include conditions in Indian Kashmir, which was analysed separately and scored a much lower overall score of 26 out of 100 (status "not free"), with a Civil Liberties rating of 20 out of 60.[4] This represents a continued worsening of conditions over the recent years; in comparison, in 2017 India was given an overall score of 77 out of 100 (status "free"), and a score of 42 out of 60 for civil liberties.[5]
According to the World Press Freedom Index (WPFI), a global analysis published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), India's press freedom ranking has dropped from 140 out of 179 countries in 2019, to 161 out of 180 countries in 2023, classifying press freedom in India as being in a "serious" situation.[6][7]
- ^ "Article 19 in The Constitution Of India 1949". indiankanoon.org. Indian Kanoon. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ "Uncle dictates, cyber boys dispose - Sibal to work on norms for social sites". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India. 7 December 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
- ^ "India: Freedom in the World 2024 Country Report". Freedom House. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "Indian Kashmir: Freedom in the World 2024 Country Report". Freedom House. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "India: Freedom in the World 2017 Country Report". Freedom House. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "India | RSF". rsf.org. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "Index 2023 – Global score". Reporters Without Borders. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.