Freedom of the Press in India: Between Democracy and Repression

Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Jammu & Kashmir – three different regions in India, three different perspectives on press freedom in their country. Rohit Upadhya, Vijayta Lalwani and Safeena Wani, all three participants in the taz panterstiftung project “In Dialogue: India and Germany in a Complex Geopolitical Landscape”, express these in this podcast.

Rohit Upadhyay lives in Noida, part of the Delhi metropolitan region and therefore close to the political center of India. But spatial proximity does not automatically mean proximity to political events, he corrects. Ministries often release their information exclusively through news agencies. Questions are not allowed, journalists are excluded from appointments or are not given access at all.

The situation in Jammu & Kashmir is even more drastic. The ongoing conflict with Pakistan is also leading to further restrictions on press freedom here. Safeena Wani describes how the situation has changed over the years.

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After the abrogation of Jammu & Kashmir's special status in 2019, there was a communications blackout. Journalists had to travel to Delhi to submit their stories to editorial offices. Many journalists from Jammu & Kashmir have now left the region and are reporting from other parts of India.

India is often described as the largest democracy in the world and a partner in Europe's values. However, the reality is that press freedom is massively restricted in the country with around 1.46 billion inhabitants. Reporters Without Borders ranks India 157 out of 180 in the World Press Freedom Index 2026. This means that the country has fallen by six places compared to the previous year.

Vijayta Lalwani reports on coordinated campaigns to discredit independent journalists, especially Muslim, female or Dalit journalists.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not given a traditional press conference for more than twelve years now. As soon as the Indian Prime Minister gives another press conference, the status of press freedom in the country will also improve, says Vijayta Lalwani.

The podcast was recorded in English.

Eleven journalists from India came together for a kick-off workshop in Delhi at the beginning of the taz panterstiftung's “In Dialogue: India and Germany in a Complex Geopolitical Landscape” project at the end of June. Since then, the participants have met every two weeks until the end of November for digital sessions and discussed German-Indian and European-Indian relations with experts. In addition to the free trade agreement between the EU and India agreed in February, this includes, among other things, climate protection and decarbonization as well as defense cooperation and reporting on these topics.

On November 21st, a special supplement with contributions from Indian journalists will be published in the taz together with the wochentaz.