A cornerstone of democracy – a free press – is increasingly under threat in India. Draconian laws like the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Prevention of Money Laundering Act and sedition are being used to muzzle the media and create a chilling effect across the country.There is a growing trend of imposing gag orders to suppress the media, along with the pervasive use of strategic and criminal defamation lawsuits against journalists. The blocking of social media handles and websites of journalists and independent media outlets has also become a way to suppress the dissemination of news. Internet shutdowns severely compound the threat to media freedom by instantly blocking journalists’ ability to report live, verify information and disseminate news to the public.Thousands of journalists face physical attacks and intimidation for exposing corruption and violations through investigative journalism – in the last ten years, 28 journalists have been killed in India. In the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, India is ranked 151st out of 180 countries and remains in the “very serious” category for press freedom.Freedom of the press and the people’s right to information is also under threat from the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.The excessive powers vested in the Union government and the failure to exempt the collection and processing of personal data for journalistic purposes from the ambit of the Act will have a severe chilling impact on independent journalism.The requirement of seeking consent for publishing personal information, and penalties of up to Rs 250 crore or even Rs 500 crore for violations of the Act will severely curtail press freedom. It would effectively prevent journalists from exposing the names of politicians, government officials and industrialists involved in corruption, criminal cases or human rights abuses.Former Supreme Court Justice Madan Lokur, who is now chairperson of the UN Internal Justice Council, joins transparency activists Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri on this edition of ‘Jaanne Bhi Do Yaaro’ on The Wire to discuss the threats to media freedom in India.