Reuters’ main presence on X, along with its Reuters World account, was blocked for around a day over the weekend, which X says was ordered by officials in India.
Indian users attempting to access these accounts were instead met with a message declaring that the profiles have been “withheld in IN in response to a legal demand.”
X has now disclosed that the Indian government had issued a sweeping order on July 3, directing the platform to block over two thousand accounts in the country, including those belonging to Reuters.
“On July 3, 2025, the Indian government ordered X to block 2,355 accounts in India, including international news outlets like @Reuters and @ReutersWorld, under Section 69A of the IT Act,” the company said.
It added that “non-compliance risked criminal liability,” and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology “demanded immediate action — within one hour — without providing justification.”
Following public backlash, the company said officials appeared to walk back the decision.
“After public outcry, the government requested X to unblock @Reuters and @ReutersWorld,” the platform stated. Still, X emphasized its broader concerns, warning that such directives reflect a disturbing trend: “We are deeply concerned about ongoing press censorship in India due to these blocking orders.”
The company said it is “exploring all legal options available,” while pointing out that “unlike users located in India, X is restricted by Indian law in its ability to bring legal challenges against these executive orders.” It encouraged affected users to seek judicial remedies through the courts.
Strikingly, officials in New Delhi deny any role in the move. A government representative told Reuters that no agency had requested such an action, leaving the reasons for the restriction shrouded in uncertainty.
Reuters revealed that its team had previously been alerted in May that certain content would be withheld within India at the government’s request.
That notification, however, failed to specify what material was being targeted or which government body had made the demand.
X has been vocal in opposing demands to silence accounts or posts.
The company took the Indian government to court in March, warning that a new official website had opened the door to “unrestrained censorship of information in India” by empowering numerous officials to block or take down content at will.
