Reuters’ Twitter Account Withheld in India; Government Denies Current Order, Seeks Clarification from X
RMN News Tech Desk
July 6, 2025
NEW DELHI – The official Twitter (now X) account of international news agency Reuters has been withheld in India, displaying a message that the action comes “in response to a legal demand”. This development has prompted a swift reaction from Indian government officials, who have denied issuing any recent order to block the account and are instead seeking an explanation from X regarding the move.
Users attempting to access the @Reuters handle on X are now met with a message stating: “Account withheld. @ Reuters has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand”. It is important to note that while the main global news agency’s X account and Reuters World handles are inaccessible, affiliated handles such as Reuters Tech News, Reuters Fact Check, Reuters Asia, and Reuters China remain accessible.
Despite the message citing a “legal demand,” government officials have strongly denied raising any current such demand to withhold the news agency’s account in the country. Instead, they have sought clarification from X.
However, official sources have shed light on the situation, revealing that a request to block Reuters’ account was made during “Operation Sindoor” on May 7. Officials stated that this order was not enforced at the time, and X appears to have now acted on that older request.
An official source indicated, “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 since reached out to Elon Musk’s X, asking them to explain the blocking and lift the embargo, considering the issue is no longer relevant.
According to an explanation on X’s help page, “account withheld” signifies that X was “compelled to withhold the entire account specified (e.g., @username) in response to a valid legal demand, such as a court order“.
The Reuters account has not been restored by X at the time (July 6, 2025, 3:26 p.m.) of publishing this RMN News report.
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