State: Applicable Across India
Year: 2025
Date: July 5, 2025
Source:
Censorship – News Media/Documentaries
“The official X account of international news agency Reuters has been restricted in India following a “legal demand.” So far, Reuters has not issued a statement clarifying the reason behind the blocking of its account.
Reuters is the news and media division of Thomson Reuters. The company says it employs 2,600 journalists in over 200 locations. The X account of Reuters World was also inaccessible as of 11:40 pm on Saturday.
The main handle of Reuters remains inaccessible as of 11:30 pm, saying, “@Reuters has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand,”” News 18 reported.”
Updated On: July 6, 2025
Reuters X account restored in India after suspension over legal demand
“The Reuters News account on X was restored in India on Sunday, a day after the social media platform suspended it, citing a legal demand.
“”At this time, we are no longer withholding access in INDIA to your account,”” X said in an email to the Reuters social media team, without elaborating.
The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.
Representatives for X, Reuters and the Indian government did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the restoration of the account.
Earlier on Sunday, a spokesperson for the Indian government’s Press Information Bureau told Reuters that no Indian government agency had required withholding the Reuters handle, adding that officials were working with X to resolve the problem.
A Reuters spokesperson had said the agency was working with X to resolve this matter and get the Reuters account reinstated in India as soon as possible.
Reuters World, another X account operated by the news agency which was blocked in India, was also restored late Sunday night.
The main Reuters account, which has more than 25 million followers globally, had been blocked in India since Saturday night. A notice told X users that “”@Reuters has been withheld in IN (India) in response to a legal demand””.
In an email to the Reuters social media team on May 16, X said: “”It is our policy to notify account holders if we receive a legal request from an authorized entity (such as law enforcement or a government agency) to remove content from their account.””
“”In order to comply with X obligations under India’s local laws, we have withheld your X account in India under the country’s Information Technology Act, 2000; the content remains available elsewhere””.
Reuters could not ascertain if the May 16 email was linked to Saturday’s account suspension nor could it determine what specific content the demand referred to, why its removal was sought or the entity that had lodged the complaint.
While the email did not specify which entity had made the request or what content they sought to remove, it said X had been advised that in such cases, a user could contact the secretary of India’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry.”