India still ‘partly free’ in Freedom House report

Context

India’s status as a democracy and free society remained “partly free” for the second consecutive year in the annual report of Freedom House.

About

About the report:

Freedom in the World is the most widely read and cited report of its kind, tracking global trends in political rights and civil liberties for almost 50 years.
It is published by a US government-funded NGO ‘Freedom House’ that studies political freedom around the globe.
- Freedom House is the oldest American organization devoted to the support and defense of democracy around the world.
- It was formally established in New York in 1941 to promote American involvement in World War II and the fight against fascism.
Since 1973, Freedom House has assessed the condition of political rights and civil liberties around the world.
Scores are Based on:
- Political rightsindicators such as the electoral process, political pluralism and participation and government functioning.
- Civil libertiesindicators related to freedom of expression and belief, associational and organisational rights, the rule of law and personal autonomy and individual rights.
- Countries are declared as “free”, “partly free” or “not free”.

Key findings in 2022 report:

The report is titled, “Freedom in the World 2022 – The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule”.
India’s status as a democracy and free society remained “partly free” for the second consecutive year.
Freedom House downgraded India to “partly free” in the 2021 report, after listing it as “free” in the reports for 2018, 2019 and 2020.
India’s score was 66, a drop from 71/100 from in 2020 (reflecting 2019 data).
The report said that India had “suffered a series of setbacks to political rights and civil liberties” and it had “showed no signs of reversing course, as notable opposition figures faced arrest and surveillance”.
The report alleged “discriminatory policies and a rise in persecution affecting the Muslim population”.
The harassment of journalists, non-governmental organisations and other government critics has “increased significantly”, while Muslims, Dalits and Adivasis “remain economically and socially marginalised”.