Reuters' X account blocked in India, govt says no legal requirement made

Government sources denied having raised any new legal demand in this matter and sought explanation from X for blocking Reuters account

International news agency Reuters' X account has been withheld in India "in response to a legal demand", as per notice displayed by the social media platform.

However, a government spokesperson said there is no legal requirement made by it to withhold the account and it is working with X to resolve the issue.

Reuters' X account is likely to be restored soon.

"There is no requirement from the Government of India to withhold Reuters and we are continuously working with X to resolve the problem," the spokesperson said.

Sources said a demand for blocking of Reuters' X account alongside several hundreds of other accounts was made during Operation Sindoor in May.

While several accounts were blocked from accessing in India, Reuters handle wasn't.

Elon Musk-owned X seems to have now acted on that request and blocked Reuters' X handle in India.

And since the issue isn't relevant now, the government has asked X to explain the blocking and lift the embargo.

"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. Government has reached out to X for resolving it at the earliest," an official source said  An email sent to Reuters seeking comments did not elicit a response.

While affiliated X handles such as Reuters Tech News, Reuters Fact Check, Reuters Asia, and Reuters China are accessible in India, both official X accounts of the global news agency as well as Reuters World handles are inaccessible. 

X users attempting to access the main account can see a message that reads: "Account withheld. @ Reuters has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand."  On its help centre page, X explains such messages "about country withheld content" means X was compelled to withhold the entire account specified or posts in response to a valid legal demand, such as a court order or local laws.