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The temporary blocking order against Telegram was passed following recommendations by the National Testing Agency and the Education Ministry.
Telegram banned by government
Tire Telegram: In a major setback for Telegram, the Delhi High Court on Friday upheld the Centre’s decision to temporarily block the platform ahead of the June 21 NEET-UG re-test in a bid to prevent any possible leak or misuse of the platform during the examination process.
While pronouncing the order, a single-judge bench of Justice Tejas Karia noted that the move was justified to safeguard the integrity of the examination process.
Read More: Centre Says Telegram Being Exploited For Terrorism, Cybercrime; Delhi HC Reserves Order
The restriction, imposed until June 22, was challenged by Telegram, which argued that the temporary ban was excessive and unlawful. However, the court sided with the government, holding that the measure was proportionate and taken under emergency circumstances.
The bench observed that the Centre had adopted the least restrictive option available and had followed the procedure prescribed under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act while issuing the blocking orders.
The court also rejected Telegram’s contention that the decision was arbitrary, noting that the government’s order was based on relevant material and did not suffer from any non-application of mind.
Telegram had approached the High Court earlier this week after the Centre restricted access to the platform ahead of the June 21 NEET-UG re-examination.
The government defended its decision by arguing that Telegram was being used to circulate misleading information and facilitate scams targeting NEET candidates. It also told the court that the platform has increasingly been exploited for illegal activities, including cybercrime, financial fraud, drug trafficking and child exploitation.
During the hearing, the Centre described Telegram as a “new dark web”, alleging that criminal actors use its channels to connect users to deep web and dark web networks while concealing their identities.
The temporary ban was imposed following recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education.
According to the NTA, the measure was necessary to prevent the spread of leaked examination material and protect the credibility of the re-test, which was ordered after allegations of question paper leaks led to the cancellation of results for millions of candidates last month.
The government has also directed Telegram to disable its message-editing feature in India until June 30 as an additional safeguard.
Read More: ‘Leaks Just Moved To Other Apps’: Telegram CEO Says India’s Ban Stopped Nothing
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov criticised the decision, saying the restriction unfairly affected more than 150 million users in India while failing to stop those responsible for leaking examination material.
The NEET-UG 2026 re-test is scheduled to be held on June 21 under heightened security arrangements.
About the Author
Ananya Bhatnagar, Principal Correspondent at CNN-News18, reports on various legal issues and cases in lower courts and the Delhi High Court. He has covered the hanging of the Nirbhaya gang-rape convic…Read More
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