Indian Government Rejects Elon Musk’s X Claim of Blocking Reuters, Says No New Order Issued

The Indian government has firmly denied claims by Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that it issued orders on July 3rd to block accounts belonging to global news agency Reuters and other entities. This rebuttal follows X’s assertion that it was instructed under India’s IT Act to block 2,355 accounts in the country on that date.

A government spokesperson stated Tuesday that no fresh blocking orders were issued on July 3rd, 2025, and emphasized there was no intention to block prominent international channels like Reuters and ReutersWorld. According to the official statement, the government acted swiftly when Reuters’ accounts were withheld on X in India on Saturday evening (July 5th), immediately contacting the platform to demand their unblocking. This directly contradicts X’s claim that the government only requested unblocking after public outcry.

The statement further detailed that the government “vigorously pursued” X to unblock the accounts starting late on July 5th. It accused X of “unnecessarily exploiting technicalities” around the process, resulting in a delay. Despite continuous hourly follow-ups, X reportedly did not restore access to Reuters and other URLs until after 9 PM on July 6th – over 21 hours later.

X’s Global Government Affairs account had earlier alleged that on July 3rd, the Indian government, invoking Section 69A of the IT Act, ordered the blocking of 2,355 accounts, including @Reuters and @ReutersWorld. X claimed non-compliance risked criminal liability and stated the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) demanded action within one hour without providing justification. X also stated the government only asked for Reuters’ accounts to be unblocked following public outcry.

Expressing “deep concern” over “ongoing press censorship in India,” X announced it is “exploring all legal options available.” However, it noted Indian law restricts X itself from legally challenging the executive orders, urging affected users to seek remedies through the courts. The platform maintained its position that the blocking orders originated on July 3rd.