Curbs on ‘sensitive’ webinar topics reversed after outcry India’s Ministry of External Affairs has dropped its demand that public universities seek official permission for online international seminars that touch on matters relating to India’s ‘internal affairs’. It claimed that the easing of restrictions on travel and assembly of people brought in during the coronavirus pandemic meant such curbs on online activities were “no longer applicable”. However, the same requirement of prior permission still applies to physical meetings. In January guidelines were circulated by the education ministry to publicly funded universities, requiring them to seek permission from the Ministry of External Affairs for any online seminar that touches on “security of state, border, Northeast states, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh or any other issues which are clearly/purely related to India’s internal matter/s”.