Social media platform Twitter is learnt to have approached the government seeking more time to comply with the new IT rules.

According to sources, the micro-blogging site has said it intends to comply with the rules but needs more time because of the pandemic situation in India.

The response from Twitter comes after the government issued a strongly worded final notice to the company last week regarding its non-compliance with the new rules.

When contacted, a Twitter spokesperson said Twitter has been and remains deeply committed to India, and serving the vital public conversation taking place on the service.

“We have assured the government of India that Twitter is making every effort to comply with the new guidelines, and an overview on our progress has been duly shared. We will continue our constructive dialogue with the Indian government,” the spokesperson said.

In its notice, the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) had said that Twitter’s refusal to comply with the rules demonstrated the micro-blogging site’s “lack of commitment and efforts towards providing a safe experience for the people of India on its platform”.

“Despite being operational in India for more than a decade, it is beyond belief that Twitter Inc has doggedly refused to create mechanism that will enable the people of India to resolve their issues on the platform in a timely and transparent manner and through fair processes, by India based, clearly identified resources,” the ministry had said.