India’s Prime Minister’s Office summoned Telecommunications Secretary Amit Agrawal on Saturday to seek an explanation for the blocking of 129 betting websites on the basis of fabricated court orders, two government officials told Reuters.
Orders under scrutiny
Reuters reported that telecom officials had instructed internet providers to block the sites after receiving documents emailed by people posing as lawyers. The documents were presented as High Court orders. The officials said the summons cut short Agrawal’s visit to another state.
The episode has prompted a criminal investigation by state police into suspected forgery and cheating by unidentified people. The telecommunications ministry has also begun an internal investigation, Reuters reported. Police have sought records from the ministry.
The two orders identified by Reuters as fake carried fabricated court logos and seals, as well as a false QR code. Both had been available on the Department of Telecommunications’ website for months alongside correspondence directing providers to remove the sites. As of Saturday, one order remained accessible and the other had been taken down.
One official said action against the betting accounts was carried out through the department’s field officers. The incident has raised concerns about safeguards for website-blocking orders and the possibility that forged documents could be used to target legitimate sites.
