X, formerly known as Twitter, has accused the government of trying to suppress the voice of the media. X says the government issued orders to block 2,355 accounts, including names like international news agencies Reuters and Reuters World, within an hour on July 3, 2025. The orders were given under Section 69A of the IT Act, but the government did not give any reason.
X alleges that the government is spreading a web of censorship by misusing Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act. This section forces social media companies to comply with government orders to remove illegal content, otherwise the companies do not get legal protection. But X says the government is using Section 79(3)(b) instead of Section 69A, which neither requires giving reasons nor has any due process. X also said that when people questioned the blocking of Reuters accounts on social media, the government immediately ordered them to be unblocked, but it took more than 21 hours to unblock them.
The government denied the allegation, saying that it had not ordered any blocking, and X had taken advantage of “technical nuances”. But the Modi government’s explanation is not satisfactory. X even filed a case against the government in the Karnataka High Court, citing a 2015 Supreme Court judgment that struck down Section 66A of the IT Act. This judgment was to protect freedom of expression, but today the government is again accused of imposing such restrictions. Several examples of restrictions on press freedom have come to light in the last two years (2023-2025). According to the 2024 World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders, India ranks 161st out of 180 countries, indicating a poor state of press freedom. From 2023 to 2025, according to government and non-government sources, at least 20 journalists were arrested or prosecuted. These journalists were either criticizing government policies or reporting on sensitive issues. During this time, at least 5 media outlets were either closed or faced financial and legal pressure, forcing them to stop their work. These figures are only superficial, the real situation could be even more serious, as many cases are not made public. Press freedom is the fourth pillar of democracy, and if it is weakened, the entire democratic structure will be shaken. If the government is truly transparent, it should respond to X’s allegations clearly and with evidence. X’s appeal, in which he asked Indian users to take recourse to the court, is a new twist. So the responsibility to protect press freedom lies not only with X or a few journalists, but with the entire society. If we Indians remain silent, tomorrow their voice may also be silenced.
