News portal The Wire said on 9 May that its website has been blocked by internet service providers across India. According to The Wire, the service providers claimed they received orders from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the IT Act, 2000. In a public statement, The Wire said it strongly opposes this “censorship” and is taking legal steps to fight the decision.
The Wire has called the blocking of its website a clear violation of the Constitutional right to freedom of the press. The news portal described the move as arbitrary and without explanation, and said it would take all necessary steps to fight this act of censorship.
सरकार का बड़ा कदम –
जब मोदी विरोध और देशहित के नाम पर राष्ट्र विरोध के बीच कि लाइन मिट जाये – तो नुक़सान पत्रकारिता और उससे जुड़े भरोसे का होता है।@thewire_in is no more visible digitally, The Wire का दावा, उसपर प्रतिबंध लगा। pic.twitter.com/mM9ow6XYCo— Ajay Kumar (@AjayKumarJourno) May 9, 2025
In its statement, The Wire said, “We strongly protest this blatant censorship, especially at a time when India needs honest, fair, and rational sources of news the most. Your support has kept us going for the past 10 years, and we hope you’ll stand with us now.” While The Wire‘s website was working normally in Delhi on Friday, some users in other parts of the country said they couldn’t access it. The government has not officially commented on blocking the website.
This comes just a day after X (formerly Twitter) revealed that the Indian government ordered the platform to block access to around 8,000 accounts, including those of several news outlets. Among them were the handles of Maktoob Media, The Kashmiriyat, and Free Press Kashmir. These actions were reportedly taken due to rising tensions between India and Pakistan.
Several X (formerly Twitter) accounts, including those of international news outlets and public figures, have been blocked in India. According to a statement by X, in many cases, the government did not provide a clear explanation of what content from these accounts violated Indian laws. For many of them, no evidence or reason was shared.
X clarified that it is complying with government orders by blocking these accounts only within India, but it disagrees with the directive.