Reuters' X account withheld in India over legal demand

New Delhi: The official X account of international news agency Reuters has been withheld in India “in response to a legal demand”, according to a notice displayed by the social media platform.

However, government sources have denied issuing any new legal demand regarding the matter and have asked X to clarify the basis for blocking the account. According to them, the request to block Reuters’ X handle—alongside several hundred other accounts—was originally made during Operation Sindoor.

While various accounts were blocked within India at that time, Reuters' handle was not among them. Sources now suggest that X, owned by Elon Musk, appears to have acted on the older request and restricted Reuters’ account in India. Since the issue is no longer deemed relevant, the government has urged X to provide an explanation and remove the restriction.

“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. The government has reached out to X for resolving it at the earliest,” an official source said.

Reuters has not responded to an email seeking comments.

While affiliated handles such as Reuters Tech News, Reuters Fact Check, Reuters Asia, and Reuters China remain accessible in India, both the global news agency’s official X account and Reuters World are currently withheld.

Users attempting to view the main Reuters account are met with the message: “Account withheld. @ Reuters has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand.” According to X's help centre, such messages indicate that the platform was compelled to withhold an account or posts in response to a valid legal requirement, such as local laws or a court order.

(inputs from PTI)