BY Navin Upadhyay
The “Freedom in the World 2025” report, published by Freedom House on February 26, 2025, assesses political rights and civil liberties across 195 countries and 15 territories, including India. It continues to classify India as “Partly Free,” a designation unchanged since 2021, reflecting a steady decline in democratic freedoms under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). With a score of 66 out of 100—33/40 for political rights and 33/60 for civil liberties—India grapples with persistent challenges despite its vibrant multiparty democracy.
Political Rights: A Mixed Landscape
India’s political system supports competitive elections and diverse parties, but growing constraints mar this picture. The 2024 parliamentary elections, held from April to June, saw Modi win a third term, though the BJP lost its outright majority, relying on coalition partners for the first time in his tenure. Voter turnout exceeded 66%, showcasing resilience, yet fairness was compromised. As the report states, “In over 40 percent of the countries and territories that held national elections in 2024, candidates were targeted with assassination attempts or assaults, polling places were attacked, or postelection protests were suppressed with disproportionate force.” In India, this played out through arrests of opposition leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Indian National Congress (INC), alongside campaign restrictions and an opaque electoral bond system that obscured funding transparency.
2 out of 5 #CentralAsia republics made it to the list of 17 countries with the worst freedom-in-the-world score.
While the FITW is far from perfect, it does indicate trends very well.
Source: https://t.co/QXO50Eer8B pic.twitter.com/aw1uv7xsgm
— Dr. Aijan Sharshenova (@AijanCo) February 26, 2025
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The report further notes, “While India is a multiparty democracy, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has presided over discriminatory policies and a rise in persecution affecting the Muslim population,” a trend evident in Modi’s push to influence judicial appointments and centralize power. The Supreme Court’s December 2023 ruling upholding the 2019 revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomy reinforced this, with assembly elections there—last held in 2014—delayed into 2024 amid security concerns, limiting political participation.
Civil Liberties: Erosion Amid Repression
Civil liberties face mounting pressure, especially for minorities and critics. Despite constitutional guarantees of expression, religion, and assembly, harassment of journalists, activists, and NGOs has surged. The report highlights, “Authorities have used security, defamation, sedition, and hate speech laws, as well as contempt-of-court charges, to curb critical voices in the media,” a reality stark in 2024 with 42 internet shutdowns (per the Software Freedom Law Center) targeting dissent during elections and protests. Posts on X underscore India’s 50/100 internet freedom score, calling it the “democratic world’s reigning champion in internet shutdowns, online censorship, and e-surveillance.” The 2023 Digital Personal Data Protection Act and Telecommunications Act expanded surveillance, while April 2023 IT Rules enabled censorship of “misleading” state-related content.
Religious minorities, particularly Muslims, bore the brunt of repression. The report observes, “The political rights of India’s Muslims continue to be threatened,” citing BJP-backed Hindu nationalist rhetoric and policies like “love jihad” laws in states such as Uttar Pradesh, alongside violence like Manipur’s ethnic clashes spilling into 2024. Yet, resistance flickers—Karnataka’s 2023 repeal of an anti-conversion law stands out, though hijab bans in schools persist.
Bright Spots and Regional Context
Amid these challenges, India saw gains. The 2024 elections defied authoritarian consolidation, with opposition wins in Punjab (AAP) and Himachal Pradesh (INC). Regionally, India’s 66/100 outscores Pakistan (37/100) and China (9/100, “Not Free”), but lags behind Bhutan (83/100) and Nepal (70/100). Globally, “People experienced deterioration in their political rights and civil liberties in 60 countries, and secured improvements in only 34 countries,” placing India among the declining majority.
Conclusion: A Democracy at a Crossroads
India’s “Partly Free” status in 2025 reflects a nation balancing democratic roots with authoritarian drift. The report’s call resonates: “It is in the vital interest of all those who believe in democracy to invest in democratic institutions at home, call out attacks on rights abroad, work together to promote lasting peace, and support human rights defenders wherever they operate.” For India, the world’s largest democracy, 2025 tests whether it can reverse a 19-year global freedom decline and reclaim its “Free” ideals—or slip further from them.
