The War On News

How governments have limited journalists, 1900 to today.

Search in India, national level

The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.

7 incidents match this view.

Country: India, RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180

Continent: Asia

Tactic: Prior restraint (3) Shutdowns and blocking (2) Detention and violence (1) Insult and defamation laws (1) Official labels (1) Surveillance and subpoenas (1) Expulsion and visa denial (1) Licensing and closure of outlets (1)

Stage: Pressure (2) Punish (2) Silence (3)

Outcome: Unknown (3) Reversed (2) Sustained (1) Ongoing (1)

Level: National (7)

Head of government: Indira Gandhi Narendra Modi

DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
February 10, 2026India: one-year prison sentence for the journalist Ravi Nair in a criminal defamation case, February 2026India (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsNarendra ModiUnknown (February 10, 2026)
March 2024Bombay High Court strikes down India's government 'fact check unit' ruleIndia (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Official labelsNarendra ModiReversed (September 20, 2024)
August 21, 2023India: Gaon Savera's Facebook and X accounts blockedIndia (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Shutdowns and blockingNarendra ModiUnknown
February 14, 2023Indian tax authorities search BBC offices weeks after Modi documentary banIndia (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasNarendra ModiUnknown
November 7, 2019India: journalist Aatish Taseer's overseas citizenship revokedIndia (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Expulsion and visa denialNarendra ModiSustained (November 7, 2019)
August 5, 2019India imposes a communications blackout in Jammu and Kashmir after revoking the region's special statusIndia (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Shutdowns and blockingNarendra ModiOngoing (August 5, 2020)
June 26, 1975India imposes pre-press controls on every newspaper during the 1975 EmergencyIndia (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Prior restraintIndira GandhiReversed (March 21, 1977)
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