The Elon Musk-owned X has said the Indian government had on July 3 ordered it to block as many as 2,355 accounts, including those belonging to international news agency Reuters.

The directive, issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, had demanded immediate compliance within one hour and did not provide any justification, the company said in a statement.

Soon after, the accounts were blocked for Indian users, with a legal notice stating the action was taken “in response to a legal demand”. Among the accounts put under shadows were @Reuters and @ReutersWorld, two of the company’s prominent global news handles.

The blocking was followed by a backlash on X.

"After public outcry, the government requested X to unblock @Reuters and @ReutersWorld," the company’s Global Government Affairs team said in its statement.

The blocking and subsequent unblocking of Reuters’ accounts sparked a contradiction between the government and the platform.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), which X said had issued the July 3 directive, denied any such instruction had been given.

“There is no requirement from the Government of India to withhold the Reuters handle. We are continuously working with X to resolve the problem,” a government spokesperson said after the accounts were reinstated.

However, X refuted that claim, reiterating that it had received official blocking orders on July 3 that included Reuters. “Non-compliance risked criminal liability. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology demanded immediate action within one hour without providing justification, and required the accounts to remain blocked until further notice,” it said.

X added that it is “deeply concerned about ongoing press censorship in India due to these blocking orders.”

“X is exploring all legal options available. Unlike users located in India, X is restricted by Indian law in its ability to bring legal challenges against these executive orders. We urge affected users to pursue legal remedies through the courts,” the platform said.

History of blocking orders

This is not the first time X has found itself in conflict with Indian authorities. In early May 2025, the platform had revealed that the Indian government had issued blocking orders for over 8,000 accounts, including those belonging to international news organisations, independent Indian journalists and political commentators.

At the time, the handle of X’s Global Government Affairs team was also briefly blocked in India and later unblocked after it disclosed the details of the government orders.

The May directive was issued during Operation Sindoor, when the Indian government instructed social media platforms to take down content it deemed harmful to national interest. While the action targeted accounts allegedly linked to Pakistan and China, it also included the X handles of BBC Urdu and Outlook India, both of which were later reinstated.

In its May 9 statement, X had said: “We received executive orders from the Indian government asking for over 8,000 accounts to be blocked, including those belonging to international news organisations and prominent X users.”

It warned that non-compliance with such orders could lead to “significant fines and imprisonment” of its local employees.

Some of the blocked accounts in May included those of Maktoob News, a New Delhi-based news outlet, Anuradha Bhasin, a senior journalist based in Srinagar amongst some more. Many of the affected users said the government had not provided specific reasons for the action.

In recent months, the Indian government has repeatedly cited Section 69A of the IT Act, a provision that allows it to direct intermediaries to block access to content in the interest of national security.

For now, Reuters’ handles are back online in India.