India joins Ukraine, West Bank in ‘severely restricted’ academic freedom category; ranks above China

In 2026, India is classified as having "severely restricted" academic freedom, placing it among countries like Ukraine, the West Bank, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Hong Kong. This ranking, according to a report by Scholars at Risk, is below countries such as Turkiye, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. The Central government in India has increasingly involved itself in university governance, appointments, and campus expression, leading to measures that have affected academic discourse, including faculty dismissals, cancellation of academic events, and restrictions on student expression.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has been seen as a tool for state influence in higher education, with recent policy changes viewed as increasing government control over universities. These changes include modifications to academic qualification requirements for vice-chancellors and the removal of a cap on contract faculty.

The report cites several cases, such as the termination of South Asian University professor Snehashish Bhattacharya in 2025 for alleged "misconduct" and the dismissal of SRM Institute of Science and Technology assistant professor Lora Santhakumar for opposing calls for war on social media.