India has apparently entered a new academic category where the freedom to think comes with its own terms and conditions. According to the Free to Think 2026 report by Scholars at Risk, India has been placed in the “severely restricted” category for academic freedom, alongside countries and territories including Hong Kong, Indonesia, Pakistan, the West Bank and Ukraine. China, meanwhile, has been placed in the “completely restricted” category. Naturally, this is excellent news for competitive-exam aspirants: India has once again demonstrated that even freedom comes with a ranking system. The report examined attacks on higher-education communities between July 2025 and June 2026 and documented 382 incidents across 59 countries and territories. India’s Academic Freedom Index score was reported to have fallen from 0.38 in 2022 to 0.14 in 2025.
The Freedom to Think… Carefully
Academic freedom is supposed to allow students, teachers and researchers to investigate ideas, debate controversial subjects and publish conclusions without inappropriate interference. But the report cited concerns in India involving university governance, leadership appointments, academic priorities and restrictions affecting faculty and students. It also referred to cases involving dismissals of academics and the cancellation of academic events.
The irony is almost too academically sophisticated to explain. Indian universities spend years teaching students how to question assumptions, challenge arguments and examine evidence. Then comes the practical lesson: “Question Everything—Except This.” It could become the country’s most popular new elective. Three credits, no questions, attendance compulsory.
UGC: University Grants Commission or University Guidance & Compliance?
The report raised concerns about the growing influence of the University Grants Commission over higher education. Among the issues it highlighted were changes concerning vice-chancellor qualifications and the removal of the 10 per cent cap on non-permanent, contract faculty. The report described the UGC as an important mechanism through which government influence can reach universities.
Of course, the UGC remains the University Grants Commission. But if university life continues becoming increasingly bureaucratic, students may eventually rename it the University Grants & Conditions Commission. The application form could contain three simple questions: What do you want to study? Why? And, most importantly, have you checked whether you’re allowed to ask Question Number Two?
Research Paper: Please Attach Permission to Research
Research traditionally begins with a question. Why does this happen? How did this happen? What would happen if we changed it? And perhaps the most contemporary academic question of all: What happens if the answer makes somebody uncomfortable? That last question could soon deserve its own PhD.
Imagine a doctoral student spending six years researching a controversial subject, finally submitting the thesis and receiving the most terrifying academic feedback imaginable: “Interesting. Please revise your conclusion to something less interesting.” At that point, the viva would become less of an oral examination and more of an escape room. The student wouldn’t be defending the thesis; they would be trying to locate the safest possible sentence in it.
Campus Debate: Now Available in Silent Mode
The report also highlighted restrictions involving student expression and protests, as well as pressure faced by student protesters from university authorities, police and opposing student groups. It noted that debates surrounding national identity, caste, religion and historical interpretation have contributed to campus protests, with some demonstrations escalating into clashes.
Indian campuses could therefore pioneer an exciting new form of intellectual discourse: the Silent Debate. Two students sit across from each other. Neither says anything. Both stare intensely. One eventually opens a notes app. The other checks whether the Wi-Fi is working. A professor enters the room. Everyone immediately starts discussing attendance. Academic freedom preserved, GPA protected and civilisation continues.
When a Lecture Becomes a Security Briefing
The report referred to cases involving faculty dismissals and cancelled academic events, including controversies involving statements and activities at universities. It discussed cases involving academics including South Asian University professor Snehashish Bhattacharya and SRM Institute professor Lora Santhakumar.
In a functioning academic environment, controversial ideas are normally answered with more ideas. There is supposed to be an argument, followed by a counterargument, followed by evidence, followed by another 20-page paper that almost nobody reads. But the campus controversy cycle can sometimes look very different: a professor says something controversial, someone complains, the administration investigates, social media explodes, an event disappears and everyone writes an essay about academic freedom. The essay is then carefully worded. Very carefully worded. Extremely carefully worded.
India Beats China—At Least at One Number
And then comes the wonderfully confusing part. India’s reported Academic Freedom Index score of 0.14 is numerically higher than China’s 0.10 in the table cited by the Indian Express. Yet India remains in the “severely restricted” category while China is in the “completely restricted” category. The report’s classification takes into account longer-term changes in scores between 2015 and 2025 rather than simply sorting countries according to one year’s number.
This means India has achieved something every Indian parent understands: you can score higher and still not necessarily get promoted. “Congratulations, beta! You scored 14.” “Thank you, Papa.” “China scored 10.” “Great!” “Now explain why your category is still concerning.” “Papa, this is a very complicated index.” “Then become an engineer.”
The Global Classroom Isn’t Exactly Thriving Either
To be fair, the report does not portray academic freedom as an Indian problem alone. The 2026 Academic Freedom Index found significant declines in 50 of 179 countries over the past decade, while only nine recorded improvements. The report also pointed to declining institutional autonomy in the United States.
So the global university system appears to be participating in an international competition called “Who Can Make Academia More Complicated?” The contestants are everywhere. Some countries restrict speech. Some pressure universities. Some fight over curriculum. Some fight over faculty appointments. And somewhere, an exhausted professor is wondering whether academia was always supposed to involve this much paperwork.
The Textbook That Became a Text-Book
The report also highlighted a March 2026 Supreme Court case involving three academics associated with an NCERT Class 8 social science textbook. According to the report, the court objected to a section it considered to project a negative image of the judiciary and barred the scholars from receiving public funding for curriculum development; the Indian Express reported that this position was subsequently modified in May.
The irony is magnificent. A Class 8 social science textbook has apparently become important enough to trigger a national-level institutional debate. Somewhere, an eighth-grader is still asking the only question that truly matters: “Sir, will this come in the exam?”
The professor looks at the textbook. He looks at the court order. He looks at the syllabus. Then he quietly replies, “Apparently, everything comes in the exam now.”
The Future of Indian Academia: Terms and Conditions Apply
Perhaps the biggest irony is that universities are supposed to be places where societies test their ideas before those ideas test society. They are laboratories for thought. They are supposed to contain disagreement. They are supposed to tolerate uncomfortable questions. They are supposed to produce students who can say, “I disagree with you,” and then explain why without immediately turning the classroom into a battlefield.
If academic freedom continues shrinking, the most valuable university skill may no longer be critical thinking. It may be critical thinking with excellent paperwork.
The future professor might begin every lecture by saying, “Good morning, students. Today’s topic is democracy.” He pauses. “Before we begin, please confirm that everyone has completed Form 17-B, received administrative clearance and agrees that all examples are purely hypothetical.”
A student raises his hand. “Sir, may I ask a question?”
The professor smiles. “Of course.”
“Is it allowed?”
The professor checks his email. Then the university circular. Then the latest notification. Finally, he nods.
“Yes.”
The student takes a deep breath and asks the most dangerous question left in academia:
“Can we leave now?”
And just like that, India discovers the ultimate academic innovation: the freedom to think—subject to prior approval.
Indian Editor – News With a Wink
Read Original Article
