Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office summoned the telecommunications secretary on Saturday to explain how officials ordered the takedown of more than 100 websites based on court orders that Reuters revealed were fake, two government officials told the news agency. The intervention signals intensifying scrutiny of India's website-blocking system.

Source: Reuters via The Hindu BusinessLine

Telecom Secretary Amit Agrawal was summoned to appear and explain the lapse, cutting short his trip to another state, the two officials with knowledge of the matter said, according to Reuters. The Department of Telecommunications has not responded to Reuters' questions on the blocking directions.

Awaaz Punjab reported on November 11 that telecom officials had directed internet providers to block 129 illegal betting websites on the basis of two High Court orders, and reported on November 12 that India had launched a probe into the website blocks, with police seeking ministry records. Saturday's summons is the first intervention at the Prime Minister's Office level since the scandal broke.

How the forged orders moved through the system

Reuters reported on Wednesday that the orders were emailed to telecom officials by people posing as lawyers. The two orders, issued in the names of the Rajasthan High Court and the Allahabad High Court, contained fabricated court logos and seals and a fake QR code, according to comments from police and the court registry cited by Reuters. Neither order appears in the courts' online records, technology publication MediaNama reported in its explainer on the case.

Source: MediaNama

The Allahabad High Court found its order was fake and filed a police complaint on November 6, MediaNama reported. The findings have triggered a criminal investigation by state police against unknown persons for forgery and cheating, and Uttar Pradesh police have sought the telecom ministry's records, including details of its content management system and digital logs.

On Friday, Reuters reported that the telecoms ministry had initiated an internal investigation into the alleged fraud. A government official told Reuters the inquiry will review the ministry's procedures and add checks, and that the ministry plans to revoke the blocking directions issued on the forged orders and remove the related documents from its website. On Saturday, one of the fake court orders was still accessible on the government's website, while one had been removed, Reuters reported.