The Wire termed the development blatant censorship and added that it is taking all necessary steps against the action.
Published May 09, 2025 | 1:57 PM ⚊ Updated May 09, 2025 | 1:57 PM
The Wire.
Synopsis: The Wire said the Union government blocked access to its website in India. This is the third instance of media organisations being restricted in recent months.
The Union government on Friday, 9 May, blocked access to The Wire in India, said the news portal in a message on its social media handle.
“In a clear violation of the Constitutional guarantee of freedom of the press, the Government of India has blocked access to thewire.in across India. Internet Service Providers say The Wire has been ‘blocked as per the order of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the IT Act, 2000’,” it said in a statement.
The development comes just a day after Kerala-based independent news organisation Maktoob Media said that its account on social media platform X had been withheld in India following a legal demand.
Blocking of The Wire website is the third instance of media organisations being restricted in recent months. In February, the Tamil-language magazine Vikatan had its website blocked after publishing a cartoon that satirised Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Wire termed the development blatant censorship and added that it is taking all necessary steps against the action.
“We protest this blatant censorship at a critical time for India when sane, truthful, fair and rational voices and sources of news and information are among the biggest assets that India has,” it said in a statement.
“We are taking all necessary steps to challenge this arbitrary and inexplicable move. Your support has kept our work going for the past 10 years and we are are counting on all of us standing together at this time.”
“We will not be deterred from providing truthful and accurate news to all our readers. Satyamev jayate,” it added.
Dear Readers of The Wire
In a clear violation of the Constitutional guarantee of freedom of the press, the Government of India has blocked access to https://t.co/mEOYg6zJMu across India. + pic.twitter.com/K1jRk3Vxpy
— The Wire (@thewire_in) May 9, 2025
Following the restriction of Maktoob Media Founding Editor Aslah Kayyalakkath, had wrote on X, “We have learned that Maktoob Media’s X account has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand. We have no knowledge of the reason for the government’s arbitrary action. It is an assault on press freedom. Maktoob pledges to continue its crucial work at a time when truth is becoming a casualty.”
Tamil publication Ananda Vikatan’s website was blocked in India in February, after it published a cartoon depicting Prime Minister Modi chained next to former US President Donald Trump.
The cartoon was a satirical commentary on Modi’s alleged silence over the deportation of Indian nationals by US authorities.
The website was reportedly taken down without prior notice, following a complaint lodged by BJP Tamil Nadu President K Annamalai.
In response, Vikatan filed a case at the Madras High Court challenging the action. Senior Advocate Vijay Narayan, representing the magazine, argued that the ban was an attempt to suppress media freedom and was not justified by national security concerns.
On 6 March, Justice Parthasarathy directed the Union government to lift the ban but also instructed the magazine to remove the cartoon.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
