Elon Musk's platform X, formerly known as Twitter, said Tuesday that the Indian government ordered the blocking of 2,355 accounts in India, including two accounts linked to news agency Reuters.
According to X's Global Government Affairs post, India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued the takedown request on July 3.
The company said the ministry demanded "immediate action – within one hour – without providing justification" and required the accounts to stay blocked until further notice. X warned that refusing to comply would risk criminal charges.
According to Aljazeera, among the accounts blocked were @Reuters and @ReutersWorld. Indian users trying to access them on Saturday saw a message saying the account was "withheld" due to a legal demand.
The block was lifted the next day, and the Indian government later said it had not ordered the action.
In a statement shared by ANI, India's government said it had "no intention to block any prominent international news channels."
A government spokesperson also claimed that once the Reuters accounts were blocked, officials immediately contacted X to request their unblocking.
"We are deeply concerned about ongoing press censorship in India" says Elon Musk's @X.
— Abhishek Jha (@abhishekjha157) July 8, 2025
-On July 3, GoI ordered X to block 2,355 accounts in India, including news outlets like @Reuters and @ReutersWorld
-🇮🇳 govt. asked action, within one hour, without providing justification. pic.twitter.com/3ijRiGdygG
India Faces Backlash for Blocking Reuters on X
Despite that, X says it is "deeply concerned about ongoing press censorship in India." The company also noted that the Indian government had asked for the accounts to be restored only after public backlash.
This dispute is part of a larger legal fight between X and India. In March, the platform sued Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration, accusing it of expanding its censorship powers under India's Information Technology Act, CNBC said.
India's IT law, passed in 2000, allows the government to order social media companies to remove posts that threaten national security or public order. Critics argue the law is too broad and often used to silence opposing views.
X said it is looking into all legal options but is limited in what it can challenge under current Indian laws. "We urge affected users to pursue legal remedies through the courts," the company added.
India is one of the world's top countries in terms of government content removal requests, according to data from tech platforms. Internet shutdowns and social media blocks are common during protests or unrest.
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