Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office has summoned Telecom Secretary Amit Agrawal to explain how telecom officials ordered the takedown of more than 100 websites on the basis of court orders that an investigation by Reuters found to be fake, two government officials with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Saturday.

Source: Reuters

Agrawal was called in on Saturday and had to cut short a trip to another state to appear and explain the lapse, the officials said. The summons marks a sharp escalation in scrutiny of the telecom ministry since Reuters reported on Wednesday that officials had directed internet service providers to block 129 illegal betting websites using fake High Court orders that were emailed to them by people posing as lawyers.

Source: Reuters

According to Reuters, the two state court orders it examined carried fabricated court logos and seals and a fake QR code — a conclusion based on comments from the police and the court registry. The findings have triggered a criminal investigation by state police against unknown persons for forgery and cheating.

Source: The Hindu BusinessLine (Reuters)

The telecom ministry has also begun an internal investigation into the alleged fraud, Reuters reported on Friday. On Saturday, one of the fake orders was still accessible on a government website while another had been removed, the news agency said.

Source: Reuters

Why it matters

Website blocking is one of the state's most powerful tools against illegal betting and online fraud, and it normally rests on a genuine court or government order. If forged orders sent by email can trigger nationwide takedowns, the same channel could in principle be used to block legitimate websites. The Prime Minister's Office stepping in directly signals that the government is treating the episode as a systems failure, not a clerical error. What to watch next: the outcome of the ministry's internal probe, the police forgery investigation, and whether new verification checks are imposed before takedown orders are acted on.