Modi's office summons telecom secretary over use of fake court orders, officials say

New Delhi, Nov 14 - Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office summoned Telecom Secretary Amit Agrawal on Saturday to clarify how officials issued orders to remove over 100 websites based on fake court orders, two government officials disclosed. The prime minister's office scrutiny comes after Reuters reported on Wednesday that telecom officials had directed internet providers to block 129 illegal betting websites using fake High Court orders, which were allegedly sent by individuals posing as lawyers.

While online betting is prohibited in India, the incident has raised worries that India's content-takedown system lacks sufficient safeguards, enabling the use of falsified court documents to suppress legitimate websites. This revelation has prompted a criminal investigation by state police into potential forgery and deceit by unknown entities.

Agrawal, the most senior bureaucrat in the telecommunications ministry, was cut short in his trip to another state to explain the mishap, as informed by the two government officials with knowledge of the matter. The Department of Telecommunications' action against betting accounts was carried out by field officers, according to one official.

Agrawal and his ministry, along with Modi's office, did not respond to requests for comment. The Supreme Court of India expressed concerns over AI-generated court precedents, disqualifying lawyers for using fabricated legal citations in July, and a US judge recently dismissed lawyers for similar actions. Reuters reported on Friday that the telecoms ministry had initiated an internal investigation into the alleged fraud, while police have requested ministry records for a criminal probe.