Government Clarifies No Order Issued To Block Reuters X Handle In India

In a clarification issued on Saturday, the Government of India denied having issued any directive to block the X account of the international news agency Reuters in the country.

The move came after users in India found Reuters’ main X handle inaccessible, with a notice stating it had been withheld “in response to a legal demand.”

“There is no requirement from the Government of India to withhold Reuters’ handle. We are continuously working with X to resolve the problem,” an official spokesperson of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said.

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The platform displays a message for the withheld handles, stating: “Account withheld. @Reuters has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand.”

X’s help centre explains such messages as the result of valid legal demands under local laws. The government has reportedly reached out to X, asking the platform to provide an explanation and restore access to the Reuters accounts.

The action sparked immediate criticism from journalists, civil society members, and free speech advocates, many of whom questioned the increasing frequency of social media takedowns in India.

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While the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) maintained that it issued no such order recently, a report by PTI revealed that the blocking may be linked to an earlier directive.

According to PTI, during “Operation Sindoor” in May, the Indian government had legally requested that multiple accounts, including Reuters, be withheld. However, that directive was reportedly never enforced at the time.

“An order was issued on May 7, but X seems to have acted on it now, which is a mistake on their part,” the source told PTI, adding that the matter is being addressed and the government has asked X to reverse the block.

As of now, Reuters’ main X handle and Reuters World remain inaccessible in India. However, other affiliated accounts, including Reuters Tech News, Reuters Fact Check, Reuters Asia, and Reuters China, continue to be accessible.