How Free Is India Today?

Independence is linked to freedom and is a meaningless word without it. A few years ago I had surveyed the state of freedom in India as the world saw it.

I had done this for one of my books but periodically I revisit this list of indices to see what changes have come. On Independence Day I thought it would be apposite to do this.

What Happened

Some of the organisations referred to here may be unfamiliar to readers but they are reputable and their findings are respected. We shall look at what the government says about them at the end.

• Founded in 1941, Freedom House says it is 'the oldest American organization devoted to the support and defense of democracy around the world'.

• In its Freedom in the World report India fell from 'free' in 2014 to 'partly free'.

• India fell from 66th in the world to 77th in 2022 to 86th now.

Key Details

The Pew Research Center is an American organisation that monitors long term trends. It reviews government restrictions and social hostilities around the world.

• Founded in Washington in 1977, the Cato Institute says its vision is 'a free and open society in which liberty allows every individual to pursue a life of prosperity and meaning in peace.'

• Its survey says 39% of Indians had to pay a bribe in the last 12 months.

• After 2014, it says India has seen 'one of the most dramatic shifts among all countries in the world over the past 10 years'.

Why It Matters

CIVICUS is the global alliance of civil society organisations. It monitors freedom of association, of peaceful assembly and expression.

• India lost its status as a democracy and was classified as an 'electoral autocracy', joining nations like Hungary and Turkey.

• The University of Gothenburg produces the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Index which examines institutional democracy and autocratisation.

What Reports Say

Coverage of the story so far points to:

• Continued reporting by Rediff as more details emerge