tldr;
VideoLAN’s URL from which users download the VLC Media Player (which is still open-source and ad-free!) appears to have been banned by the Department of Telecommunications (‘DoT’) in India since March 2021. This was done without any prior notice, or affording VideoLAN an opportunity of hearing, which is contrary to the 2009 Blocking Rules and the law laid down by the Supreme Court in Shreya Singhal v Union of India. IFF assisted in the drafting and dispatch of this legal notice.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://internetfreedom.in/videolan-issued-legal-notice-to-dot-and-meity-for-banning-their-website-in-india/