New Delhi, Oct. 8 -- SpaceX founder Elon Musk has accused "certain oligarchs" of blocking the launch of his satellite internet service Starlink in India to protect their hold over the market, calling it "a crime against the people of India," even as the Union government rejected the charge.

The Telecom Ministry on Thursday, October 8, said satellite communication rules apply equally to all players and every licensee has to clear security checks before it can start services. Any suggestion that the framework or the way it is applied is unfair or discriminatory is "baseless and misconceived," the ministry said in a statement.

"We are being blocked by certain oligarchs in order to maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people,...