New Delhi: The Association of Indian Magazines (AIM) has strongly condemned the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for the abrupt blocking of Vikatan’s website, www.vikatan.com, calling the action “arbitrary” and “draconian.” The industry body has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the ban and urged the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) to halt any further inquiries under the IT Rules 2021, which are currently under legal challenge.
Vikatan Website Blocked Without Due Process
According to AIM’s statement, Vikatan’s website was blocked on February 15, 2025, following a complaint filed by Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai over a political cartoon published in Vikatan Plus, the digital magazine of the Vikatan Group.
What has raised serious concerns is the swiftness of the government’s action, with MeitY blocking the website on the very same day the complaint was filed—without issuing a notice, allowing the publisher to be heard, or sharing a formal order.
“This immediate and brute action by MeitY is deeply disturbing. What is further shocking is that there was no prior notice issued to the publisher, no opportunity to be heard, and not even a formal order shared before the website was blocked,” AIM’s statement read.
The association also noted that political satire has long been an essential part of journalism and that a ruling party member’s complaint over a cartoon should not have led to such drastic censorship.
Press Bureau of India Officials Visited Vikatan Office
AIM further highlighted that, on the same day the website was blocked, officials from the Press Bureau of India visited Vikatan’s office to inquire whether Vikatan Plus was available in print. The publisher clarified that it is a digital-only publication.
Due Process Initiated Only After Website Was Already Blocked
In a move that AIM called “ironically unjust,” a day after the website was already inaccessible to its nearly 9 million monthly users, the publisher received a notice from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB). The notice stated that the Inter-Departmental Committee under the IT Rules 2021 would meet on February 17, 2025, at 4:00 PM to consider whether the content in question should be blocked.
“In essence, after the order had already been executed in the most brute and draconian manner, what should have been the due process was being initiated,” AIM’s statement pointed out.
Legal Challenges to IT Rules 2021 Ignored
AIM also underscored that the IT Rules 2021 have been challenged in multiple High Courts and the Supreme Court, with a stay in place on Rule 9(1) and 9(3), which pertain to the Code of Ethics and the Inter-Departmental Committee’s powers to examine complaints.
Given that these rules are already under judicial scrutiny, AIM has called it “shocking” that an inquiry was still initiated and an order was executed even before the process was followed.
AIM Demands Immediate Reversal of the Ban
Calling the government’s actions a “blatant and draconian attack on press freedom,” AIM has urged MeitY to immediately withdraw the blocking order against Vikatan.
The association has also called on the MIB to halt any further inquiries under the IT Rules 2021, at least until the stay issued by the courts is lifted and a final decision is made on their constitutionality.
Growing Backlash Against Website Ban
This strong statement from AIM adds to the mounting criticism from politicians, journalists, and civil society groups, who have denounced the blocking of Vikatan’s website as a direct assault on media independence.
With legal experts also questioning the constitutional validity of such censorship, pressure is building on the central government to provide an explanation and reconsider its stance on press freedom.
