The penalties in the original announcement did not apply to independent or partisan digital media outlets, some of them regarded in India as major disseminators of fake news. These platforms are not regulated by the two main media regulatory bodies, the Press Council of India or the News Broadcasters Association. Instead, the rules would have been felt primarily by large, established outlets.

In its original announcement, since taken offline, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said that guidelines for the accreditation of journalists were being amended to counter “increasing instances of fake news in various mediums.” The statement did not define fake news or provide guidelines about who could lodge complaints against journalists.

The statement said a journalist’s accreditation would be revoked for six months after a first violation, one year after a second violation and permanently after three violations. It also said that once a complaint against a journalist was registered, his or her accreditation would be suspended until a determination had been made.

An accreditation is not required in India but is regarded as critical for access to news makers. Accredited journalists in India face fewer security clearances when visiting government offices and are eligible for subsidized train travel, among other benefits.

Smriti Irani, who runs the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, had said on Twitter that complaints against journalists would be handled by the Press Council of India and the News Broadcasters Association. She said neither body was controlled by the government.

Rajat Sharma, the president of the News Broadcasters Association, said that his group had not been consulted before the announcement on Monday. M. V. Shreyams Kumar, the vice president of the association, called the announcement “ridiculous.”

“This whole exercise is to curb the freedom of the press,” Mr. Kumar said.

Ms. Irani, after arguing the measure’s merits on Twitter with journalists and opposition figures, was taking a more conciliatory tone by midday Tuesday, inviting journalists to meet with her and provide “suggestions so that together we can fight the menace of ‘fake news’ & uphold ethical journalism.”