Key facts
- Modi's office summoned Telecom Secretary Amit Agrawal to explain the takedown lapse, two government sources said.
- Telecom officials ordered internet providers to block 129 betting websites on fake High Court orders, per Reuters.
- State police opened a criminal investigation against unknown persons for forgery and cheating.
- One of the two fake court orders was still accessible on a government website on November 14, 2026.
- Agrawal and his ministry did not respond to Reuters queries, and neither did Modi's office.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office summoned Telecom Secretary Amit Agrawal on November 14, 2026, to explain how officials ordered the takedown of more than 100 websites based on court orders that Reuters reported were fake, two government sources said. The summons cut short Agrawal's trip to another state, the two officials with knowledge of the matter said. Agrawal is the most senior bureaucrat in the telecommunications ministry, which oversees telecom operators and internet providers.
Reuters reported on November 11, 2026, that telecom officials directed internet providers to block 129 illegal betting websites based on fake High Court orders emailed to officials by people posing as lawyers. Online betting is illegal in India. The case has raised concerns that a lack of safeguards in India's content-takedown system could allow falsified court documents to be used to block legitimate websites.
The findings triggered a criminal investigation by state police against unknown persons for forgery and cheating. On November 13, 2026, Reuters reported that the telecoms ministry had begun an internal investigation into the alleged fraud, while police sought ministry records as part of the criminal investigation.
The two state court orders Reuters revealed were fake, based on comments from police and the court registry, and contained fabricated court logos and seals as well as a fake QR code. They were available publicly on the Department of Telecommunications' website for months, along with correspondence showing government officials ordering internet providers to remove the websites. On November 14, 2026, one of the fake court orders was still accessible on the government's website, while one had been removed.