Citing national security, MEITy rejects RTI applications on blocking social media accounts
Predictably, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITy) came up with the excuse of national security to reject requests for information on the blocking of social media accounts and digital news platforms during Operation Sindoor.
In response to RTI applications filed by Venkatesh Nayak, the Director of the New Delhi-based Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, MEITy said that it could not provide information on the blocking of 8000 social media accounts on X (formerly Twitter) and news websites, including The Wire and Maktoob Media. The X account of prominent journalists like Anuradha Bhasin and Muzamil Jaleel, Kashmiri news organisations like The Kashmiriyat and Free Press Kashmir were also blocked in India.
Nayak, who said that these blocking orders ought to have been in the public domain but have not been disclosed till date. On May 12, 2025, Nayak filed an RTI application with MEITy to ask for a copy of the communication issued by the ministry to X regarding the blocking of 8000 account and sought the list of these accounts and news media platforms, along with directions issued to Internet Service Providers, all file noting and correspondence in connection with the blocking orders.
No transparency in block of Reuters either
The opacity simply doesn’t end.
On July 8, 2025, X’s Global Government Affairs team said in a post, that the Indian government had ordered X to block 2,355 accounts in India, including international news outlets like @Reuters and @ReutersWorld on July 3, 2025, under Section 69A of the IT Act. Non-compliance risked criminal liability. MEITy had demanded immediate action- within one hour- without providing justification, and required the accounts to remain blocked until further notice. After a public outcry, the government requested X to unblock @Reuters and @ReutersWorld.
In its post, X said it was ” deeply concerned about ongoing press censorship in India due to these blocking orders” and said it was exploring all legal options available.
In its response, received on June 6, 2025, MEITy said the matter was confidential in nature and followed due process under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act, 2000), which “empowers Government to issue orders to intermediaries for blocking of data or communication links on specified grounds of: (i) interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, (ii) defence of India, (iii) security of the State, (iv) friendly relations with
foreign States or (v) public order or (vi) for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offense. Moreover, the information sought is exempt under Section 8(1)(a) of the Right to Informtion Act, 2005.
Nayak said that the same RTI application for forwarded to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MoIB) as they are also empowered to issue take down orders. Interestingly, the first response from the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO), received on June 24, said that the Media Unit Cell-I of MoIB does not have any information which he sought in the RTI application!
On July 2, 2025, another CPIO issued a reply rejecting the request stating that the regulation of content on OTT platforms and news and current affairs under the The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 were exempt from the provisions of Section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act.
Nayak, who plans to challenge these replies, says that they are in contravention of the RTI Act. Besides, they signal an end to even the transparency which existed earlier by which both Ministries would issue a press note about the blocking/take down orders.
See MEITy response:
MEITy response to RTI on -Twitter&NewsMediaBlocking
See MoIB response:
Censorship
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