India has been placed in the ‘severely restricted’ category for academic freedom, according to a new report by Scholars at Risk, an international network that tracks attacks on higher education.
The report, titled Free to Think 2026, flags growing government influence over university governance, faculty appointments, and campus expression in India.
- Documented 382 attacks on higher education communities across 59 countries between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026
- The 2026 Academic Freedom Index (AFI) found academic freedom declined in 50 of 179 countries over the past decade
- Only 9 countries showed improvement in the same period
India was grouped in the ‘severely restricted’ category alongside:
- Hong Kong
- Indonesia
- Pakistan
- The West Bank
- Ukraine
The‘completely restricted’ category, the lowest ranked, includes China, Afghanistan, Iran, Russia, Turkiye, Syria, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, and Gaza.
India’s Academic Freedom Index Score
The academic freedom index score of India saw a sharp decline from the year 2022 to 2025. Despite scoring higher than several ‘completely restricted’ nations like China (0.10) and Iran (0.08), India was still ranked below them due to a sharper decline in its score over the 2015–2025 period.
| Year |
AFI Score |
| 2022 |
0.38 |
| 2025 |
0.14 |
Key Concerns Raised in the Report
- Increased Central government role in university leadership appointments and academic priorities
- Dismissal of faculty members and cancellation of academic events
- Policies restricting student expression
- The University Grants Commission (UGC) described as a ‘primary vehicle for state influence,’ including relaxed qualification norms for vice-chancellors and removal of a cap on contract faculty
- Snehashish Bhattacharya, a South Asian University professor, terminated in 2025 over alleged “misconduct against university interests” after signing a letter on student protests
- Lora Santhakumar, an SRM Institute of Science and Technology professor, dismissed in December 2025 following a social media post opposing military action, after facing online abuse and threats
- A March 2026 Supreme Court order barring three NCERT-linked scholars from public funding for curriculum work, tied to a Class 8 textbook dispute
The report also noted a similar downward trend globally, including a decline in the US institutional autonomy score from 3.3 (2019) to 1.7 (2025).
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