In Defence of Free SpeechFree Speech Collective
The Free Speech Collective aims to defend the right to freedom of expression and vigorously promote free speech and the right to dissent.
SPOTLIGHT
ExploreFree Speech TrackerTrack Violations across Categories, States & Years
The Free Speech Tracker is a database that records free speech violations in India across various categories. Tracked violations can be searched across categories, states or years. Categories covered include Arrests, Attacks, Censorship, Harassment, Internet Control, Killings, Lawfare, Policies/Regulations, and Threats.
Please visit the About Us page for a guide to free speech violations tracked by FSC,
Numbers are liable to change and violations may be reclassified in case of discrepancies in reporting or updates due to developments in ongoing cases. In case of updates or corrections and to report free speech violations, please contact us.
[Note: The data included currently is for 2025 as updates for previous years is under process. For details of previous years, please go to the Reports section.]
LATEST FREE SPEECH VIOLATIONS
How Goa Police is being Weaponised Against Legitimate Dissenters
The recent case against singer and activist Apoorva Mudgal and the earlier…
State Censorship: Pushback by Filmmakers, Juries and Audiences Enable Screenings
The authorities’ attempts to censor films perceived as “problematic” at film festivals…
SC Hearing on Breach of Privilege: Better Late than Never
By Geeta Seshu It has taken 23 years for any real engagement…
What’s wrong with these Cartoons on the ECI ?
Nothing, except that they poke fun at the Election Commission of India…
Internet Freedom Foundation statement: The removal of BitChat from the India App Store is unconstitutional.
Statement from Internet Freedom Foundation The removal of BitChat from the India…
Delhi High Court denies bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam; Online Petition Demands Release of All Political Prisoners
Delhi High Court denied bail to student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel…
Does “a public” have a right to a “private” screening?
There needs to be a serious rethink about the CBFC prohibition on…
Anatomy of a Censoring Mob Threatened by Book Reading in Public
A peaceful community book reading by a group of citizens in a…
Penguin’s Shenanigans
Penguin has repeatedly crossed the line between due diligence and outright censorship.…
Threats and Intimidation Mark Face-off between Maharashtra’s Junnar MLA Sharad Sonawane and Local Journalists
The escalating conflict between Junnar MLA Sharad Sonawane and local journalists has…
जुन्नरचे आमदार शरद सोनवणे आणि स्थानिक पत्रकार यांच्यातील संघर्षात धमक्या आणि दमबाजीचे प्रकार
जुन्नरचे आमदार शरद सोनवणे आणि स्थानिक पत्रकार यांच्यातील वाढत्या संघर्षामुळे प्रसारमाध्यमांचे स्वातंत्र्य…
NWMI Stands with Anandabazar Patrika Journalists
NWMI stands firmly against the campaign of personal vilification and misogynistic abuse…
Curbing Kaziranga Protests: Social Media Blocks, Surveillance and NSA
The Assam government has tried just about every possible curb on adivasi…
Journalists targeted for ‘Muslim” identity, brutally assaulted by Delhi police
Journalists Shaheen Khan and Nafisa Khan of 4PM News Network, who were…
Student and Youth Collective Ahmedabad strongly condemns the violent attack by Bajrang Dal on the participants of a peaceful reading session
Press Release: Student and Youth Collective Ahmedabad strongly condemns the violent attack…
From Campus Slogans to Meme Reality: A Look at the Changing Student Movement
The student protests of July 20 in Delhi and other parts of…
DIGIPUB News India foundation strongly condemns the manner in which searches were conducted at the residences of journalist Ravi Nair
DIGIPUB News India foundation strongly condemns the manner in which searches were…
Jammu and Kashmir: Seven years under Union Rule – Freedom of Speech, Expression and Education
In its seventh year after the abrogation of Art 370, Kashmir continues…
Khurram Parvez and Irfan Mehraj granted bail under strict conditions
A statement from the People’s Union for Democratic Rights, a civil liberties…
The Caged Frontline: How the Indian State Criminalized Adivasi Youth Dissent in Bastar
Republished from The Polis Project It was the onset of…
PUCL deplores the deployment of Criminal Contempt Proceedings Against fair and legitimate criticism of the functioning of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma
Contempt Proceedings against Kejriwal, AAP Leaders, and Journalist Saurav Das must be…
In Goa, a journalists’ union list on “legitimate” media gets state government approval
Can a journalists’ union collaborate with the state government to decide about…
RTI Act Rendered Redundant by New Maharashtra Rules
Citizens say that the latest Maharashtra RTI Rules, 2026, is a pushback,…
Telegram before NEET: When governance fails, censorship takes its place
As lakhs of students appear for the NEET exam today, the focus…
Condemning the Targeted Deplatforming, Police Intimidation and Financial Harassment of Satirist Shamita Yadav (“The Ranting Gola”)
Condemning the Targeted Deplatforming, Police Intimidation and Financial Harassment of Satirist Shamita…
Delhi High Court quashes proceedings against NewsClick
The Delhi High Court, in a significant judgement on 29 May 2026,…
Erasing the Poor, Monetising the Land: Mumbai’s Demolition Drives
The use of terms like “encroachers” and “illegal” slums dominate media reports…
Irfan Mehraj : How A Journalist is Put Out of Circulation
What does World Press Freedom Day mean to Jailed Journalists in India?…
जेल में कैद पत्रकारों के लिए विश्व प्रेस स्वतंत्रता दिवस का अर्थ
What Does World Press Freedom Day mean to Jailed Journalists in India?…
May 3, 2026: What does World Press Freedom Day mean to jailed journalists in India?
This World Press Freedom Day 2026, Free Speech Collective poses this question…
Statement from NAJ, APWJF and the DUJ on the murder of journalist Jaganmohan Reddy
National Alliance of Journalists(Regd.) DELHI UNION OF JOURNALISTS (Regd.) Flat no.29, New…
Tamil Nadu Elections: Alliances, Their Claims and Voter Mood
தமிழ்நாடு தேர்தல்: கூட்டணிகளும் அவற்றின் கூற்றுகளும் வாக்காளர்களின் மனநிலையும் --கவின் மலர்-- தமிழ்நாட்டில் 23 ஆம்…
Free Speech : The Week That Was (April 5-11, 2026)
What a packed week for freedom of expression in India! From court…
Banning The Voice of Hind Rajab threatens freedom of expression in India and Israel
A statement by filmmakers, journalists, academics and activists from India and Israel…
The Limits of Free Speech: Caste, Power, and Campus Democracy
The stories of campuses are not only those of repression but also…
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Acquittal: Impunity Reigns
Has impunity got a new lease of life with the acquittal of…
Petitions Challenging DPDP Act in SC : Data, The New Wealth; Its Protection, A New Battleground
As the Supreme Court weighs the Digital Personal Data Protection Act against the…
The Throttling of Free Discussion in Academia: Strong-arm Tactics by ABVP and Cave in by Azim Premji University
- A Free Speech Collective Commentary The vandalism and violence by members…
Media Bans in South Asia: A stranglehold on Information as Messengers are Silenced
Amid calls to end a media ban between India and Pakistan, journalist…
What is the purpose of art and literature if it does not question?
– A first-person account by author and journalist Neeta Kolhatkar “The last…
Statement condemning intimidation and criminalisation of journalists who are engaged in reporting on Kashmir
On the occasion of India's 77th Republic Day, the statement below, endorsed…
When Speech Becomes an Act of Terrorism
- By Ritika Jain* Terms like “freedom of speech,” “freedom of expression,”…
Shhh…Utter the ‘P’ Word At Your Own Peril
Geeta Seshu examines how online space continued to shrink when it came…
The Wire condemns J&K police intimidation of journalist Jehangir Ali, seizure of phone
Press Statement by The Wire New Delhi, December 18, 2025 On the…
DPDP weaponises data, finishes off transparency: Anjali Bharadwaj
A month after the Central Government notified Rules to The Digital Personal…
Factually correct report cannot be termed defamatory
The Delhi High Court has quashed the defamation case against journalist Nilanjana Bhowmick…
The PUCL Condemns the J&K Order of surveillance of working journalists and the denial of press freedom
PEOPLE’S UNION FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES Founder: Jayaprakash Narayan; Founding President: V M…
Wanted: A Responsible Media in Bihar
On the eve of the polling for the assembly elections in Bihar,…
Criminalisation of politics in Bihar
*C P Jha examines its roots for this special report. The criminalisation…
CPJ calls for credible investigation into death of Indian journalist Rajeev Pratap
Indian authorities must conduct a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the death…
Brutal Attack on Environmental Activist in Goa
Strong protests by environmental groups but is the government listening, asks Avertino…
Apprehension of safety not unreasonable, says Bombay HC, allows transfer of defamation case by radical hindutva group Sanatan Sanstha
The Bombay High Court granted the transfer of the hearing in a…
Nepal’s Gen-Z launches protest on 8 September 2025 as Nepal government blocks several social media platforms
[Update on the 8 September 2025 protest action called by Gen Z…
Why did Gauri Lankesh die? A review of Rollo Romig’s book on Gauri Lankesh
Eight years ago, at about 7.45 pm on September 5, 2017, senior…
Banning Books: A Part of the Pattern of Erasing Kashmir, say experts
From disappearing Instrument of Accession to book ban, Kashmiris struggle to find…
PUCL Response to the banning and forfeiture of 25 books by J&K Government
A comprehensive statement from the civil liberties organisation on the ban of…
J & K Govt. Book Ban: What do the Thought Police Fear?
By Geeta Seshu The Jammu and Kashmir (J & K) government’s ban…
No space to breathe: Shrinking press freedom in Jammu & Kashmir
An FSC commentary on the state of the media, on the 6th…
Attack on Pune Journalist Sneha Barve: A Month on, Prime Accused still not arrested
Pune Journalist Sneha Barve Attack: A Month on, Prime Accused Still Not…
Fresh threats to Pune Journalist Sneha Barve
Three weeks after the heinous attack on her, journalist Sneha Barve, resumed…
Pune journalist Sneha Barve brutally attacked and beaten till she was unconscious
[Content advisory: includes images and text about violence.] In a heinous attack…
Blocking “fake” news or stifling free speech?
- What does the Government of Karnataka’s proposed Mis-information and Fake News…
Citing national security, MEITy rejects RTI applications on blocking social media accounts
Predictably, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITy) came up with…
The CBFC stamp of film censorship: Infantilising the public
The CBFC stamp of film censorship: Infantilising the public Despite a firmly…
The Second Silencing of Jaswant Singh Khalra
Why is the truth about human rights violations in Punjab being suppressed…
Vantara case against Himal Southasian dismissed by Delhi High Court
The Delhi High Court on 19 May 2025 dismissed a contempt of…
Ashok Univ Prof refutes allegation that his statement on Op Sindoor was misogynistic
- By Geeta Seshu The Haryana State Women's Commission issued a summons…
Silencing Journalist Rupesh Kumar – 1000 Days of Incarceration
On 11 April 2025, on the 1000th day of the incarceration of…
“Par yaad rehti bas tareekh”- Gulfisha Fatima : A Saga of Arrest and Re-arrest
A moving poem by student activist Gulfisha Fatima is the focus of…
Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists (BUJ) objects to the proposed Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, 2024.
The Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists (BUJ) registered their strong objections to the…
Statement by Democratic Teachers’ Initiative (DTI) against the show cause notice served to Dr. Kaustuv Banerjee by AUD admin
There is now at least a decade long history of the stifling…
PUCL condemns the targeting of comedian Kunal Kamra and the vandalism by Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) at The Habitat, Mumbai!
Statement issued by PUCL National and PUCL Maharashtra State unit.26TH MARCH, 2025…
The Assam Women Journalists’ Forum condemns the detention and subsequent arrest of journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder
Assam Women Journalists’ ForumEquality, Empowerment, Excellence Press Release26.03.2025 The Assam Women Journalists’…
Do students have a right to protest, on or off campus?
The Bombay High Court order upholding the suspension of TISS scholar KS…
THOUGHT FACTORY: THE DEATH OF THE STORYTELLER
by Vinta Nanda (First published on The Daily Eye, 16 February 2025. Republished…
On Indian Newspaper Day, media trade unions and journalists’ organisations protest proposed labour codes
National Alliance of Journalists (Regd.)DELHI UNION OF JOURNALISTS (Regd.)Flat No.29, Central Market,…
Bill aimed at regulating social media could deal a blow to free speech in Nepal
While sweeping provisions with hefty fines and jail terms are hugely problematic,…
“Bring Kapil Sibal or Prashant Bhushan, We Won’t Let Him Out”: Wife Recalls Police Taunt as SC Denies Journalist Rupesh Kumar Singh’s Bail
Police officers' 2022 warning haunts journalist's wife Ipsa as Supreme Court rejects…
सुप्रीम कोर्ट से पत्रकार रूपेश कुमार सिंह की जमानत याचिका खारिज: पत्नी ईप्सा बोलीं—’पुलिसवालों ने कहा था चाहे कपिल सिब्बल को लाओ या प्रशांत भूषण, बाहर नहीं आने देंगे’
ईप्सा रूपेश की रिहाई को लेकर आशंकित है और उन्हें निकट भविष्य…
Human Rights Day, Dec 10, 2024: Stand In Solidarity with Nadeem Khan and Mohammed Zubair
On Human Rights Day on Dec 10, civil society organisations have called…
RSS activists object to statement of solidarity to Palestine, force cancellation of Udapur Film Festival
In a shocking instance of blatant muscle and might, activists of the…
Impunity Marks Journalist Sandip Mahajan’s Struggle for Justice
By Geeta Seshu When journalist Sandip Mahajan was mercilessly beaten up by…
Haryana polls, Parole for Gurmeet Ram Rahim and appeal in his Conviction for Murder of Journalist Ram Chandra Chhattrapati
Barely four days before Haryana goes to the polls on Oct 5,…
PUCL condemns detention of Sonam Wangchuk and Ladhaki Padayatris
People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) condemns the detention of climate activist…
DUJ Condemns Attacks on Journalists, Layoffs, UP Media Policy
The Delhi Union of Journalists has issued a statement on the increasing…
Delhi HC Contempt Notice Against Wikimedia Foundation
The Delhi High Court's contempt notice against Wikipedia started off as a…
Civil Society appeal to Kerala CM for action on Hema Committee report
"There is an urgent need for the Government of Kerala to draft…
Journalist threatened for covering Badlapur alleged sexual abuse case
"Why are you reporting so much on this rape case? You are…
ಲೈಂಗಿಕ ಹಲ್ಲೆ , ಕಾಡ್ಗಿಚ್ಚಿನಂತ ಹರಡುತ್ತಿರುವ ವಿಡಿಯೋಗಳು : ನಿರಂತರ ಕಿರುಕುಳದ ನಿಲುಗಡೆಯ ದಾರಿ
Note: The article "Prajwal Revanna Case, Sexual Violence & Leaked Videos :…
যৌন নিগ্রহ, ফাঁস হওয়া ভিডিও: ধারাবাহিক নির্যাতনের বিরোধিতা
Note: The article "Prajwal Revanna Case, Sexual Violence & Leaked Videos :…
Samvidhan Hatya Divas: Theft of Peoples’ Memory of a Declared Emergency
(Editorial, PUCL Bulletin, Aug 01, 2024. Reprinted with permission) Erasure of Evidence…
Delhi HC order in Dhanya Rajendran case: of Redtagging and Malicious Propaganda Channels
Delhi High Court orders Take Down of ‘False and Malicious’ Reports The…
The first FIRs Against Journalists Under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita
The FIRs lodged against freelance journalists Zakir Ali Tyagi and Wasim Akram…
Excerpt from Behind the Pixels: Social Silencing and Isolation of Indian Muslims in the Online Public
Bebaak Collective’s report, Behind the Pixels: Social Silencing and Isolation of Indian…
Prajwal Revanna Case, Sexual Violence & Leaked Videos : Tackling the Continuing Arc of Abuse
Former Member of Parliament Prajwal Revanna is in jail, accused of rape…
The Tyranny of the Consulting Editor
How people with limited journalistic understanding are ruling television newsrooms. By Kajal…
TISS suspends Dalit scholar for alleged “anti national” activities
The prestigious Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has taken its censorship…
No place for Rani Chennamma in Uttar Pradesh!
"I Too Am Rani Chennamma", a national campaign to commemorate 200 years…
Entire Murty Classical Library editorial board dismissed!
In a shocking development, the entire editorial board of the Murty Classical…
Is there is a place for bans in a democracy?
By Manish Modi Do bans have a place in a democracy? Especially…
Field Notes: ‘Aap bhaag sakti hai na? You can run, right?’
“That reporting now needs prior permission, and is guided by district authorities…
“Leaving is not my choice” – Vanessa Dougnoc, French Journalist forced to leave India
"Please find below my statement. I am writing these words in tears.…
Unique protest at IIT Bombay on cancellation of linguist scholar Ganesh Devy’s lecture.
Students and faculty from IIT Bombay held a unique protest of the…
Shyam Meera Singh allowed to upload video on Gurmeet Ram Rahim, with a disclaimer
In a partial victory for journalist Shyam Meera Singh, Justice Jasmeet Singh…
A Convict and The Journalist : Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s case against Shyam Meera Singh:
On Thursday, Jan 4, 2024, journalist Shyam Meera Singh faces a court…
What’s left of the Right to Information?
With unabated attacks on users, activists fear the Right to Information (RTI)…
Parliament coverage reduced to coverage of political jibes
With literally no serious debate and a deafening silence on important issues,…
Kerala’s Review Bombing : “In Which Anna Gives It Those Ones”!
Film associations and certain filmmakers in Kerala are seeking regulation of online…
YouTube restores Media Star World Channel after DUJ appeal
Media Star World, a popular news channel on Youtube, was abruptly terminated…
How The New Censors Muzzle A Million People!
Prabir Purkayastha, founder editor of the news portal, 'Newsclick', was arrested on…
Bail for Journalist Fahad Shah; Sajjad Gul PSA quashed!
Finally, some justice for journalists Sajjad Gul and Fahad Shah, both in…
Foreign Correspondents deplore club President’s ‘Propaganda’ Tour
Ten members of the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) South Asia have resigned…
Manipur Violence and Communication blockade: “The Internet shutdown disconnects you from the outside world”
In Manipur, even as the ethnic violence continues unabated, information has been…
Karnataka: New Government, Old Clampdowns?
Having just shaken off a regime that was notoriously intolerant of criticism,…
Media freedom in Kashmir after Art.370 abrogation
What is the state of media freedom in Kashmir after the abrogation…
Maharashtra govt clamps down on peoples’ protests in the Konkan
A media blackout, a ban on television crew, externment notices and a…
Fahad Shah PSA case quashed, charges “mere surmise” says High Court
Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal has slammed the detention of Kashmir Walla editor…
Rapper Mungase gets interim protection from arrest
Rapper Rajesh Mungase, who faced charges of defamation and inciting public mischief,…
Why has Mangalore police withdrawn protection to rationalist Dr Narendra Nayak?
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat As Karnataka polls were declared last week, the…
Why has the NIA arrested Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj in a ‘terror funding’ case?
Journalist Irfan Mehraj's pinned tweet says : There are hundreds of Kashmiri…
Externment notice for Aarey activist Tabrez Sayed: Mumbai police’s new censorship tool ?
The externment proceedings initiated against Tabrez Ali Sayed, the well known youth…
Siddique Kappan in Kerala,heads home
Journalist Siddique Kappan arrived home in Kerala yesterday evening after more than…
In solidarity with film-makers Debalina Majumder and Shabnam Virmani
More than 800 film-makers and other supporters expressed their solidarity with film-makers…
New Tales in Kashmir’s New Order : The Forgotten Stories
Part II One of the biggest casualties of the administration’s massive crackdown…
When Story-tellers Are Criminalised : New Tales in Kashmir’s New Order
Part I Jism par qaid hai jazbaat pe zanjeerein hainFikr mehboos hai…
Case against Journalist’s alleged killer for another attack
Pandarinath Amberkar, accused in the killing of journalist Shashikant Warishe, had tried…
Journalist who exposed irregularities in Barsu Refinery project mowed down
In a shocking incident, journalist Shashikant Warishe was mowed down and crushed…
Siddique Kappan walks out to freedom!
Finally! After 850days in custody in jails in Uttar Pradesh for the…
What are the ‘Emergency’ powers used to block the BBC documentary on Gujarat riots and Modi?
What are the Emergency powers that have allegedly been invoked to block…
Bail to Manan Dar, court says allegations of terror do not appear to be “cogent and true.”
Manan Dar, photojournalist from Kashmir, has secured bail after more than 14…
Fahad Shah and the saga of revolving door arrests
An FSC focus on journalists in custody . Time flies - yet…
Kappan to stay in jail…for another day!
Journalist Siddique Kappan was produced before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court…
CJI Lalit, granting bail to Siddique Kappan :”Every person has the right to free expression.”
The Chief Justice of India UU Lalit asked a pertinent question about…
SC admits SFLC petition challenging internet shutdowns to ‘prevent’ exam cheating
The Supreme Court of India issued notice to the Union Government on…
Kappan bail plea before SC
Journalist Siddique Kappan moved a special leave petition before the Supreme Court…
IMSD Statement on Salman Rushdie : Break the Silence on Blasphemy
It is unfortunate that despite living in a political democracy for 75…
From Book Banning to Book Burning
This article has been republished with permission. Today’s censorship wars are part…
Freedom, in the words of a jailed journalist’s daughter
"Greetings Dear Audience, Happy Independence Day from my heart to all. I…
“Deeply disappointed, but I still hope for justice from Supreme Court” -Raihanth Kappan
After more than 22 months in prison for merely travelling to the…
Mohd. Zubair Bail Order:Free Speech Foundation of A Democracy.
Additional Sessions Judge Devendra Kumar Jangala of the Delhi District Court granted…
Gauri Lankesh: Chronicle of a murder foretold
On Sept 5, 2022, five years after Gauri Lankesh was killed, the…
Free Speech Collective files Contempt of Court plea in the Supreme Court over police detention of journalists
Free Speech Collective (FSC) has filed a contempt plea in the Supreme…
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