He was later a visiting senior fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) where he headed a project called 'Inclusive Media for Change' now part of the 'Bharat Rural Livelihood Foundation'.

[3] He has a PhD in Media, State and Political Violence, from Leicester University, UK, in addition to receiving the Nehru Centenary British Fellowship.

Mudgal began his career as a journalist with the Hindustan Times in Delhi in the mid of 1980s and was made the newspaper's correspondent in Amritsar, the then nerve centre of Punjab politics.

[7][4][8] He has written news reports and commentary on militancy, extremism, and terrorism, particularly on the killings of innocent people by terrorists and the use of extrajudicial methods by the police-such as torture and fictitious police encounters.

His book 'Claiming India from Below: Citizen Activism and democratic Transformation'[6] deals with the multifaceted dynamics of Indian democracy, moving beyond electoral politics and formal government structures.

By examining case studies from various Indian states, the book sheds light on the broader context beyond institutions, advocating for a more inclusive and participatory democracy.