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ExploreFree Speech TrackerTrack Violations across Categories, States & Years

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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.]

Violations

States

Year

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Internet Control

25 OTT platforms, including Ullu and ALTT, blocked for streaming obscene, pornographic content

State: Applicable Across India

Year: 2025

Date: July 25, 2025

OTT App Banned: The government has explicitly directed Internet Service Providers to disable or remove public access to these websites within India.

The government has explicitly directed Internet Service Providers to disable or remove public access to these websites within India.

OTT App Banned in India: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has directed that public access to 25 OTT platforms, including Ullu, ALTT, and Desiflix, be disabled for streaming obscene, and at times, pornographic content, sources in the government said. The direction to block the websites and apps of these 25 OTT platforms came on July 23, they added.

The action was reportedly taken in consultation with the ministries of home affairs and electronics and information technology, the department of legal affairs, industry bodies FICCI and CII, as well as experts working in the domain of women and child rights.

As part of the directive, content from 26 websites and 14 apps will be blocked under the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the IT Rules, 2021. These apps were streaming vulgar content from these OTT platforms, sources said.

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Attacks

Kashmir Journalist Roughly Handled By Protesting Doctors Seeks Press Bodies’ Intervention

State: Jammu and Kashmir

Year: 2025

Date: July 25, 2025

Kashmir Journalist Roughly Handled By Protesting Doctors Seeks Press Bodies’ Intervention

Terming the incident a violation of media rights and “a direct affront” to the dignity and safety of journalists in Kashmir, the reporter, Sufi Hidaya, who works with a Srinagar-based local news portal, has urged the PCI, the Editors’ Guild of India and the Network of Women in Media India to raise the issue with the Jammu and Kashmir government and demand disciplinary action against the accused doctors.

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Censorship

Dharmasthala temple Dharmadhikari’s brother gets gag order to delete over 8,800 links

State: Applicable Across India

Year: 2025

Date: July 18, 2025

Censorship – News Media /Documentaries

In a sweeping move, a Bengaluru court has ordered the takedown of thousands of links across media and social platforms, invoking a John Doe order in the Dharmasthala burial case.

Harshendra Kumar D, the brother of Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade, has obtained an ex parte injunction to delete/de-index a staggering 8,842 links on the coverage of the allegations made by a sanitation worker that he has buried several bodies in Dharmasthala. These links include coverage by newspapers, TV channels, websites and YouTubers. Several tweets, Facebook posts and Reddit threads by individuals too have been mentioned in the petition filed by Harshendra.

The court has also issued an injunction order restraining the publishing, circulating, forwarding, uploading, transmitting and telecasting any defamatory content and information against Harshendra, his family members, institutions run by the family of the plaintiff and Sri Manjunathaswamy temple, Dharmastala, either in digital media, including YouTube channels, all social media, or print media of any kind, until the next hearing.

Judge Vijaya Kumar Rai of the 10th Additional City Civil & Sessions court said that the court was fully satisfied that the plaintiff had made out a strong prima facie case for the grant of ex parte orders. “Further, the balance of convenience lies in favour of the plaintiff and irreparable loss and hardship would be caused to the plaintiff if an order of ex parte temporary injunction is not granted,” the order said. Though Harshendra has named 338 organisations and individuals in his petition, he insisted on a John Doe order, which was granted by the judge. A John Doe order means the gag will apply to named and unnamed parties.

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Censorship

Maharashtra passes bill to curb ‘Urban Naxalism’; CM says it targets passive militancy

State: Maharashtra

Year: 2025

Date: July 10, 2025

Censorship

“Maharashtra becomes the fifth state after Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Jharkhand to enact a special public security law to curb ‘urban Naxalism.’ The bill is yet to be tabled in the legislative council. The Maharashtra legislative assembly on Thursday passed a bill aimed at curbing ‘Urban Naxalism’ in the state, which seeks to prevent unlawful activities of Left Wing Extremist organisations.

The bill is yet to be tabled in the legislative council.

Maharashtra will be the fifth state after Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Jharkhand to enact a special public security law to curb ‘urban Naxalism’.

While tabling the ‘Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill’, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the government was not against the Leftist ideology or organisations, and did not intend to suppress dissent.”

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Attacks

‘Bring petrol, Let’s Burn Him’: ‘NewsToday’ Contributor Assaulted by Sand Mafia in Andhra Pradesh

State: Telangana

Year: 2024

Date: February 15, 2025

Recalling the horrific assault, Rao said that he was on a story about illegal sand mafia in the Malladi sand reach. Rao said that on his way back home, goons affiliated with the ruling YSRCP attacked him and punched him in the chest and face leading to physical injuries to him. He said the accused also tried to set him on fire with petrol.

Amaravati: In a shocking case of attack on a journalist, members of the sand mafia believed to be affiliated with the ruling YSRCP on Wednesday allegedly assaulted and attempted to kill Telaprolu Parameshwara Rao, a contributor working with ‘NewsToday’ by trying to set him on fire while he was on professional duty in Amaravati Mandal of Palnadu district of Andhra Pradesh.

Rao said that on Wednesday morning, he was on a story on illegal sand mining in Malladi sand reach where he took pictures for the story. While on his way back, goons affiliated with the ruling YSRCP led by Vempa Srinu and his followers including Tulsi Tirupathi Rao, Bhavirishetti Sunil, Bhavirishetti and Nageswara Rao chased him and attacked him without any provocation, Rao said.

He said that the goons pushed him down and punched him in the chest and face leading causing him physical injuries. Rao said that the assault was so severe that he stopped breathing for some time. Rao, who somehow escaped from the captivity, was talking to the police on the phone. While he was on the call, the goons came running, grabbed the cell phone, and attacked him again, he said.

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Censorship

In dangerous precedent, Harvard journal forced to drop article on Khalistani terrorism

State: Punjab

Year: 2025

Date: March 3, 2025

Censorship – Academia

The Harvard International Review unpublished an article on Khalistani terrorism and its impact on India-Canada ties by an Indian student after complaints from Sikh organisations. Harvard is facing backlash for pulling out the article, and a petition has been started to hold the Ivy League university accountable.

Harvard University, one of the top Ivy League schools and champion of free speech, has crumbled under pressure from pro-Khalistani quarters and removed an article on Khalistani terrorism and how that was impacting Indo-Canadian ties. Now, the university is facing backlash for unpublishing the article in The Harvard International Review, a move that is being perceived as a dangerous example of how extremist intimidation could be used to stifle sane voices.

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OpenAI to face Indian news firms of Ambani, Adani in copyright battle, documents show

State: Delhi

Year: 2025

Date: January 27, 2025

Digital news units of Indian billionaires Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, and other outlets including the Indian Express and the Hindustan Times, are joining proceedings against OpenAI for improperly using copyright content, legal papers show.
Courts globally are hearing claims by authors, news organisations and musicians who accuse technology firms of using their
India has more than 690 million smartphone users thanks to cheap mobile data plans and OpenAI has said the country is a critical market.
The Indian media outlets, including Adani’s NDTV (NDTV.NS) and Ambani’s Network18 (NEFI.NS), opens new tab, have told a New Delhi court they want to join an ongoing lawsuit against the ChatGPT creator as they are worried their news websites are being scraped to store and reproduce their work for users of the powerful AI tool.
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Censorship

TISS issues an advisory warning against the public screening of the BBC documentary on Modi on Mumbai campus

State: Maharashtra

Year: 2023

Date: January 27, 2023

Censorship – Academia | Censorship – Entertainment

On January 27, 2023, TISS issued an advisory warning against the public screening of the controversial BBC documentary on PM Narendra Modi film on the campus. The institute had issued advisories to students and the management of its branches, besides the main one campus in Mumbai, against any such mass event. Not heeding to the “advisory” would be “dealt with strictly as per the rules”, warned the advisory accessed by NDTV. It said the screening was an attempt to “trigger” students. The TISS administration had also issued a fresh warning on Saturday, January 28, 2023.

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Arrests

Jharkhand Police Arrest Independent Journalist Rupesh Kumar Singh

State: Jharkhand

Year: 2022

Date: July 17, 2022

Arrests – Journalists | Lawfare, National Security – Journalists

Rupesh Kumar Singh, an independent Journalist, covering news of Adivasi Rights violations, was arrested by Jharkhand Police on Sunday afternoon, July 17, 2022. Singh was slapped with Sections 10 and 13 of the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) as well as IPC sections 420 (Cheating), 467, 468 and 471 (related to committing forgery). Singh continues to languish in prison.

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Killings

Ashutosh Srivastava, a correspondent of Sudarshan News, shot dead in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh

State: Uttar Pradesh

Year: 2024

Date: May 13, 2024

Killings – Journalists

Ashutosh Srivastava, a 43-year-old journalist and BJP leader was shot dead in the Shahganj area of in Jaunpur district in Uttar Pradesh. Family sources said Srivastava had written to officers at the Shahganj police station a month ago and requested protection, but the cops did not pay heed to his request.

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Showing 1-10 of 156 results