Brief by Shorts91NewsDesk / 06:31am on 19 Apr 2025,Saturday Education
India has plummeted to 156th out of 179 countries in the 2025 Academic Freedom Index, placing it in the bottom 10–20% globally. The V-Dem Institute attributes this decline to the rise of anti-pluralist parties, notably the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has imposed restrictions on academic expression and autonomy. The report highlights India's score dropping from 0.38 in 2022 to 0.16 in 2025, marking its lowest since the mid-1940s. Incidents such as limiting student protests at Jawaharlal Nehru University and South Asian University, and the resignation of Ashoka University professor Sabyasachi Das following political backlash, exemplify the erosion of academic freedom. India now ranks below neighbors like Pakistan and Nepal, underscoring a significant decline in its academic liberties. (PC: Shutterstock)
