Elon Musk-owned social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has raised serious concerns over what it calls “press censorship” in India, following the temporary blocking of Reuters’ official account in the country.
In a statement posted Tuesday through X’s Global Government Affairs handle, the company disclosed that it received an order from the Indian government on July 3 instructing it to block 2,355 accounts, including those belonging to Reuters and Reuters World, under Section 69A of the IT Act.
No Justification, One-Hour Deadline, Says X
X alleged that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) demanded compliance within an hour, without offering any justification for the sweeping takedown.
“The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology demanded immediate action — within one hour — without providing justification, and required the accounts to remain blocked until further notice,” the company stated.
Failure to comply, X claimed, would have led to criminal liability under Indian law. It said the Reuters handles were later restored after a “public outcry” prompted the government to withdraw the order.
X Exploring Legal Options
The platform emphasized that it is now considering legal action, though it remains constrained by Indian law
“We are deeply concerned about ongoing press censorship in India due to these blocking orders. X is exploring all legal options available,” the company said.
“Unlike users located in India, X is restricted by Indian law in its ability to bring legal challenges against these executive orders. We urge affected users to pursue legal remedies through the courts.”
Indian Government Yet to Clarify
While the Indian government has not issued an official explanation, an IT Ministry spokesperson said last week that there was “no requirement from the government to withhold Reuters’ handle”, adding that they were “continuously working with X to resolve the problem.”
Officials within the ministry have suggested a “technical issue” might have led to the temporary visibility restriction.
More News Outlets Affected
Apart from Reuters, several other international media accounts — including Turkey’s TRT World and China’s Global Times News — were also inaccessible in India over the weekend. All of the affected handles were restored within 24 hours, but the episode has drawn criticism from media watchdogs and civil society groups.