The Indian government is facing accusations of censorship from X (formerly Twitter) after the platform alleged that it was ordered to block over 2,355 accounts, including those of the international news agency Reuters. This dispute arose after Reuters' X accounts (@Reuters and @ReutersWorld) were briefly blocked in India, raising concerns about potential government interference with press freedom.

X's Global Government Affairs team stated that on July 3, 2025, the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) ordered the platform to block the accounts under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. X claims that the order demanded immediate action within one hour and did not provide any justification for the blocking. The company further stated that non-compliance would risk criminal liability for its employees. X complied with the order, but later, following public outcry, the government requested that X unblock the Reuters accounts.

The Indian government initially denied any involvement in the blocking of Reuters' accounts. A government spokesperson stated on Sunday that "There is no requirement from the Government of India to withhold Reuters' handle" and that they were "continuously working with X to resolve the problem". However, X's recent statement directly contradicts this, asserting that the government did indeed issue the order. The Centre is yet to react to the fresh claims made by X.

X has expressed deep concern over what it describes as "ongoing press censorship in India due to these blocking orders". The company claims it is exploring all legal options available to it. However, X also stated that, unlike users located in India, it is restricted by Indian law in its ability to bring legal challenges against these executive orders and urged affected users to pursue legal remedies through the courts.

The situation remains unclear, with conflicting accounts from X and the Indian government. It also appears that X may have mistakenly enforced an outdated order. While the main Reuters and Reuters World handles were blocked, several affiliated accounts, including Reuters Tech News, Reuters Fact Check, Reuters Asia, and Reuters China, remained accessible in India. Reuters has stated that they are working with X to resolve the matter and get their account reinstated in India as soon as possible.

This is not the first time X has clashed with the Indian government over content removal requests. In March, X sued the Indian government over a new government website that the company says expands takedown powers to "countless" government officials. The case is continuing.