Two Union ministries have rejected RTI requests for details on the blocking of some 8,000 social media handles, including those of several news outlets and journalists, soon after Operation Sindoor began on May 7.
Among the X handles blocked were those of Kashmir Times managing editor Anuradha Bhasin, Maktoob (a media outlet), Free Press Kashmir, The Kashmiriyat and Muzammil Jaleel, deputy editor with The Indian Express.
When X revealed the blocking, which it said came on the Centre’s orders, its own Global Affairs handle was also briefly blocked.
Venkatesh Nayak, director of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, filed an RTI plea with the Union ministry of electronics and information technology seeking a list of those blocked and copies of the orders issued for their blocking.
The ministry rejected the request citing Section 8(1)a of the RTI Act, which exempts a public authority from revealing information that could "prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the State, relation with foreign State or lead to incitement of an offence".
It also cited a provision of the Information Technology Act that protects such information.
However, the ministry's central public information officer (CPIO) transferred the request to the information and broadcasting ministry, which too has powers to order online blocking.
Two CPIOs of the I&B ministry responded. The first, from the Media Unit Cell-I, said the information was not available. The second, from the Digital Media division, cited Section 8(1)a.
Nayak said: "Of course, I will be challenging these replies as they are in contravention of the RTI Act and also past practice of both ministries, which would issue a press note about the blocking/ takedown orders. Now even that transparency has come to an end.
"Given the serious nature of this issue and the complete lack of transparency, especially about the blocking orders issued to X (some accounts belonged to prominent journalists) and digital news websites like The Wire (howsoever temporarily)."
The electronics and IT ministry and the external affairs ministry had previously denied an RTI request from Nayak for information on the online harassment of foreign secretary Vikram Misri by Rightwing trolls after Operation Sindoor. Both ministries had replied that information on his queries was not available.