MeitY confirms meeting with BGMI developer Krafton after game ban

Last night, popular BGMI creator Maxtern tweeted about shifting his focus away from the game. In response, GodYamarajOP tweeted images of an online RTI appeal (Right to Information) that he filed and the reply he received.

GodYamarajOP had asked MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) whether a meeting was held between them and Krafton regarding the removal of the game from the virtual storefronts of Google and Apple. He even asked for the minutes of the meeting.

His exact question was:

"Is there any meeting/meetings with publisher Krafton regarding ban of BGMI from play store? And if so what are outcome of those meetings, please provide minutes of meeting."

The tweet has created a huge buzz in the community as players and fans are finally getting some clarity on the situation.

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Meetings regarding BGMI ban were held between Krafton and MeitY

In their reply, MeitY confirmed that meetings with the representatives of Krafton were held. They stated that as per Rule 16 of Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009, any information regarding the requests and complaints received and actions taken would have to remain confidential.

Snippet showing MeitY's official response to an RTI filed (Image via GodYamarajOP/Twitter)

Furthermore, section 694 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 states that matters relating to the sovereignty and integrity of India will remain classified and are protected by provisions 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act 2005. Because of this, the information requested in the RTI cannot be made public.

The minutes of the meeting will remain confidential until further notice from the government.

Meanwhile, in the RTI, GodYamarajOP also asked MeitY to cite their reasons for taking down the popular battle royale title from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store:

"What are the reasons to take down Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) game from play store and app store?"

MeitY replued stating that they acted on the requests received through designated nodal officers from Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Ministry of Electronics, and Information Technology (MeitY) and blocked the popular gaming application Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) under the provision of section 69A of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000 and the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information for Public) Rules, 2009.

Although previous meetings between Krafton and MeitY did not have any fruitful outcomes, players and fans of Battlegrounds Mobile India are hoping that upcoming meetings will result in the game getting unbanned.