The Indian government has acknowledged that its telecommunications agency blocked 129 gambling websites this year using falsified court orders, exposing glaring vulnerabilities in the country’s online censorship system. The revelation follows a Reuters investigation that uncovered two non-existent rulings from state high courts cited by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to justify the bans.
Forged Signatures, Real Consequences
One bogus order purportedly came from the Rajasthan High Court, complete with a forged registrar’s signature. The other claimed authorization from the Allahabad High Court in Uttar Pradesh—both courts confirmed the documents were fabrications. Despite this, the DoT has yet to remove the fraudulent orders from its website or reverse the website blocks enacted in July and August.
A Pattern of Fabrications
The scandal mirrors a separate incident last week involving social media platform X, which uncovered fake police orders demanding bans on prominent free speech organizations. An internal probe traced one forged request to a 17-year-old student impersonating a Delhi Police official. Legal advocates warn these cases reveal how easily bad actors can exploit India’s accelerated takedown process.
‘Three Hours to Comply’
Critics blame a February 2026 rule change that slashed compliance deadlines for content removal from 36 hours to just three. Press freedom groups report a dramatic spike in government-ordered blocks since then, as providers fear challenging questionable requests. Meta even automated its response system through a portal called ‘Sayhog’—Hindi for ‘collaboration’—to instantly process police demands without human review.
‘The system is primed for abuse,’ said one digital rights advocate, speaking anonymously due to retaliation concerns. ‘When platforms race to comply first and ask questions never, fakes slip through every time.’
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2026/11/11/india-says-website-blocks-were-based-fake-court-orders/