Indian government denies ordering block of Reuters’ X account, seeks explanation from platform
A day after Reuters’ primary X (formerly Twitter) account appeared blocked in India, the Indian government clarified that it had not requested such action and has sought an explanation from the social media platform.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology stated on Monday that the blocking of Reuters’ handle “appears to be a technical issue or confusion” on the part of X. “The government did not ask X to block Reuters,” a ministry spokesperson said, adding that officials had already approached the company to resolve the matter.
“There is no requirement from the Government of India to withhold the Reuters handle,” the spokesperson added. “So many other handles of Reuters are still available in India, which shows that the government wants Reuters in India.”
Over the weekend, the Reuters and Reuters World accounts on X were marked as “withheld” in India, displaying a standard message that said the action was taken “in response to a legal demand.” Other Reuters-affiliated accounts, covering topics such as China, Asia, science, and business, remained accessible.
Officials familiar with the matter told PTI that Reuters’ account was included in an older takedown order issued during Operation Sindoor — a post-Pahalgam attack initiative under which more than 1,000 posts and accounts were removed daily for national security reasons. However, the directive was never enforced, and officials believe X may have mistakenly acted on that outdated order.
The government has now requested X to restore Reuters’ account promptly and clarify how the blocking occurred.
Meanwhile, X continues to challenge the Indian government’s takedown powers under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act in the Karnataka High Court. During the most recent hearing, X’s legal team argued that the provision was being misused, allowing “any Tom, Dick and Harry officer” to issue takedown orders without sufficient checks.
The episode underscores ongoing friction between the Indian government and global platforms over content moderation and freedom of expression in the country.