Now Reading: India blocked 129 betting sites on two fake High Court orders
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India blocked 129 betting sites on two fake High Court orders
The Story in Brief
India’s Department of Telecommunications ordered internet providers to block 129 illegal betting websites on July 21 and September 2, 2026, based on two purported High Court orders that Reuters found to be fake. The Rajasthan High Court’s registrar said the order in its name “appears to be fraudulent” and does not exist on its server. In Uttar Pradesh, the Allahabad High Court confirmed its order was fake and filed a police complaint on November 6, an investigation for alleged forgery and cheating has been launched against unknown persons, though no arrests have been made, senior cybercrime official Ghanshyam Yadav told Reuters.
The forged orders bore court seals and, in one case, a QR code that led to a random webpage. It is unclear how the documents were generated or if artificial intelligence was used. The telecom department, which forwarded the orders to internet service providers, did not respond to Reuters queries. Both directives remained on the ministry’s website as of Wednesday, 11 November 2026.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Four outlets report the same Reuters-sourced facts: the DoT blocked 129 betting websites on two fake High Court orders, the Rajasthan High Court called its order fraudulent, the Allahabad High Court filed a police complaint, and a cybercrime official confirmed the forgery. The uniform coverage is straight wire copy, none adds an independent source or a government rebuttal beyond the DoT’s non-response and the government’s boilerplate defence of blocking only in public interest. CNBCTV18, ET and Business Standard highlight past criticism of the government’s takedown powers and Elon Musk’s X’s separate fake-order case, while Times Now omits that criticism and X’s involvement entirely. The differences are purely editorial cut-length, not framing shifts. All sources leave open who created the fake orders and whether AI was used, no outlet speculates beyond what Reuters reported.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): Reuters (carried by cnbctv18.com, economictimes.indiatimes.com, business-standard.com), timesnownews.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
