The X (formerly Twitter) accounts of Reuters and Reuters World have been blocked in India, displaying a legal demand notice.
The Indian government has denied issuing any blocking order and attributed the incident to a possible technical error.
The matter unfolds as X challenges India’s content takedown laws in the Karnataka High Court, with the next hearing set for July 8.
The X (formerly Twitter) accounts of global news agency Reuters and its affiliate Reuters World have been blocked in India since Saturday evening. Users attempting to access the handles are met with the message: “@Reuters has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand.” However, the Indian government has denied issuing any such directive.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) clarified that no official order was given to block Reuters' accounts. “We are continuously working with X to resolve the problem,” the official stated, suggesting the issue may be technical rather than legal in nature.
The development comes in the aftermath of India’s military operation “Operation Sindoor,” during which the government reportedly issued over 8,000 content-blocking orders to X. However, officials emphasized that Reuters was not among the accounts targeted and suggested that X may have acted on an outdated or misdirected request “out of the blue.” The government has since issued a written notice to X seeking an explanation and requesting that the blocks be lifted.
This incident echoes a similar glitch last week when the YouTube and Instagram accounts of several Pakistani celebrities and media outlets were briefly restored before being blocked again.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court is currently hearing a case in which X is challenging India’s content moderation system, specifically the use of Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act and the Sahyog Portal. During the latest hearing, X’s legal team criticized the sweeping nature of government content takedown powers—a position strongly contested by the Union government. The next hearing is scheduled for July 8.
Notably, Reuters’ main website and other X handles—such as Reuters Asia, Reuters Tech News, and Reuters Fact Check—remain accessible in India. The restrictions are currently limited to the primary @Reuters and @ReutersWorld handles, which continue to be available to users outside India.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)