India orders 129 betting-site blocks on forged orders

India’s Department of Telecommunications ordered internet providers to block 129 betting websites based on two purported high court orders that Reuters found were forged. The Rajasthan High Court said its order did not exist in its records, and the Allahabad High Court confirmed its order was fake and filed a police complaint; an investigation into alleged forgery and cheating is underway. The case has raised concerns about how officials verify judicial documents before using them to impose website restrictions, and about the vulnerability of India’s content-removal system.