The official Reuters News account on X has been restored in India, a day after being suspended due to a legal demand.
The account, which has over 25 million followers globally, was blocked for Indian users on Saturday night.
A message on X had stated that “@Reuters has been withheld in IN (India) in response to a legal demand.” By Sunday, access was reinstated without further explanation.
In an email sent to the Reuters social media team, X stated, “At this time, we are no longer withholding access in INDIA to your account.” However, it did not clarify who had made the request or why the account had been restricted in the first place. Reuters World, another X handle operated by the news agency, was also restored late Sunday.
A spokesperson from India’s Press Information Bureau told Reuters that no Indian government agency had requested the account to be blocked and added that officials were working with X to resolve the issue. Meanwhile, a Reuters spokesperson confirmed the agency was in contact with X to get the account reinstated as quickly as possible.
Although no official explanation was given for the suspension, X had previously informed Reuters in an email dated May 16 that it had received a legal request under India’s Information Technology Act, 2000. The message noted that the platform is obligated to comply with local laws and had withheld the account accordingly, though the content remained visible outside India. Reuters could not confirm whether the May 16 notice was related to the weekend suspension or what specific content had triggered the legal request.
The 2000 law allows Indian authorities to request content takedowns if they believe it threatens national security or public order. Tensions between X and the Indian government have been ongoing. In March, X filed a lawsuit challenging what it described as an expansion of takedown powers given to various officials. The Indian government responded by saying X had mischaracterized an official notification platform as a “censorship portal.”
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The recent suspension and restoration of Reuters’ account highlight the growing friction between global tech platforms and national regulations, raising concerns about transparency and freedom of the press in digital spaces.
