The War On News

A record of government actions against journalism and fact-based reporting, from the first press laws 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.

All filters: country, dates, head of government, sort
CountryIndia, RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180
ContinentAsia
TacticPrior restraint 3Shutdowns and blocking 2Detention and violence 1Insult and defamation laws 1Official labels 1Surveillance and subpoenas 1Expulsion and visa denial 1Licensing and closure of outlets 1
StagePressure 2Punish 2Silence 3
OutcomeUnknown 3Reversed 2Sustained 1Ongoing 1
LevelNational 7
Head of governmentIndira GandhiNarendra Modi

7 incidents match this view.

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DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
10 February 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 (10 February 2026)
March 2024Bombay High Court strikes down India's government 'fact check unit' ruleIndia (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Official labelsNarendra ModiReversed (20 September 2024)
21 August 2023India: Gaon Savera's Facebook and X accounts blockedIndia (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Shutdowns and blockingNarendra ModiUnknown
14 February 2023Indian tax authorities search BBC offices weeks after Modi documentary banIndia (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasNarendra ModiUnknown
7 November 2019India: journalist Aatish Taseer's overseas citizenship revokedIndia (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Expulsion and visa denialNarendra ModiSustained (7 November 2019)
5 August 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 (5 August 2020)
26 June 1975India imposes pre-press controls on every newspaper during the 1975 EmergencyIndia (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Prior restraintIndira GandhiReversed (21 March 1977)
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