X alleges press censorship in India after Reuters accounts blocked; govt denies issuing order

Elon Musk-owned platform X (formerly Twitter) has alleged “press censorship” in India after it was directed to block several accounts, including international news agency Reuters, earlier this month.

The company stated that it received a legal order under Section 69A of India’s Information Technology Act on July 3, compelling it to block a total of 2,355 accounts, including @Reuters and @ReutersWorld, within one hour.

The platform said it complied with the order under threat of criminal penalties but expressed serious concern over what it called a pattern of censorship.

X’s Global Government Affairs team said no justification was provided for the takedown and the decision lacked transparency.

In a public statement, it said, “We are deeply concerned about ongoing press censorship in India due to these blocking orders.” X added that it is exploring legal options but is constrained in directly challenging such orders in Indian courts.

However, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) swiftly refuted these claims. The government clarified that it had not issued any directive specifically targeting Reuters and stated that it had asked X to immediately restore the accounts after learning they had been withheld. Officials accused X of delaying the reversal by over 21 hours and called the censorship allegations “baseless.”

Reuters accounts were restored within 24 hours of the initial takedown. The episode drew criticism from press freedom advocates and renewed scrutiny of India’s use of Section 69A, which allows the government to order takedown of online content in the interest of national security and public order.

This is not the first clash between X and Indian authorities. In May 2025, the platform claimed it had been ordered to block over 8,000 accounts through a government-run censorship portal, prompting it to challenge the instructions in court.

The ongoing disputes highlight the rising tension between global tech platforms and the Indian government over digital content regulation and media freedom.