Elon Musk's X claims Indian government ordered block on 2,355 accounts, including Reuters

In a startling revelation, Elon Musk-owned social media platform X announced on July 8 that the Indian government ordered it to block over 2,300 accounts in the country, including those belonging to international news agency Reuters, as per media reports.

The platform's statement contradicts an earlier denial by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), which had claimed no such directive was issued regarding the Reuters handle.

Also Read: Govt didn’t ask X to block Reuters, calls it technical glitch

According to a post shared by X's Global Government Affairs team, the blocking directive was issued on July 3 under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.

"The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) demanded immediate action - within one hour - without providing justification and required the accounts to remain blocked until further notice," X said.

The company further alleged that non-compliance with the order would have resulted in criminal liability for its employees in India. While it complied with the directive initially, X noted that following a public backlash, the government later asked for the restoration of the @Reuters and @Reutersworld accounts, the report added.

“We are deeply concerned about ongoing press censorship in India due to these blocking orders,” X said, adding that it is actively exploring all available legal options. However, it acknowledged its limited ability to challenge such executive orders under Indian law and encouraged affected users to seek legal recourse in the courts.

The Ministry, however, refuted the claims. In an earlier statement issued this week, MeitY maintained: “There is no requirement from the Government of India to withhold Reuters handle. We are continuously working with X to resolve the problem.”

Also Read: Social media platform X restores Reuters account in India after government intervention