Government denies requesting ban on Reuters X handle in India

The Centre on Sunday, July 6 clarified that it had not issued any legal directive to microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) to block the official account of international news agency Reuters in India. The denial came after Reuters’s Indian X handle displayed a message stating it had been “withheld in India in response to a legal demand.”

“There is no requirement from the Government of India to withhold the Reuters handle. We are continuously working with 'X' to resolve the problem,” stated the Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

The move sparked concern across journalistic and social media circles, with many pointing to the unexpected nature of the restriction.

According to government sources quoted by news agency PTI, an earlier directive had indeed been issued on May 7 during Operation Sindoor, but it was neither executed nor intended to be enforced at this stage. Officials now believe that X may have mistakenly acted on the previously dormant order.

"An order was issued on May 7 (during Operation Sindoor) but it was not enforced. X seems to have enforced that order now which is a mistake on their part. The government has reached out to X for resolving it at the earliest," said a source familiar with the development.

Following the block, Indian authorities reportedly sought an explanation from the social media company and urged it to immediately lift the restriction.

While several affiliated X handles of the agency including Reuters Tech News, Reuters Fact Check, Reuters Asia, and Reuters China remain accessible within India, both the main global handle (@Reuters) and Reuters World continue to be restricted.

Users trying to visit the affected pages encounter a standard X message stating:
"Account withheld. @Reuters has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand."

On its help center page, X states that such messages typically indicate enforcement of a legal order or local law, compelling the platform to restrict content or entire accounts in specific jurisdictions.

The issue traces its roots to Operation Sindoor, an intelligence and security-linked operation earlier this year. While government sources confirm that an order was issued in that context, the decision was apparently held in abeyance, making X’s recent action a point of contention.