Delhi High Court reserves verdict on Telegram's challenge to temporary ban
The Delhi High Court on Thursday reserved its judgment on a plea filed by Telegram challenging the government's order temporarily blocking the messaging platform across India until June 22. The bench of Justice Tejas Karia heard arguments from both sides and will pronounce the verdict on Friday.
During the hearing, the court repeatedly questioned the proportionality of the blocking order, which was issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, which deals with emergency powers. Justice Karia sought to understand whether the temporary ban was proportionate given the nature of the allegations against the platform.
The government, represented by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, argued that Telegram's architecture makes it difficult to trace the origin of messages, leading to potential misuse. The government expressed concern that if the platform remained operational before the NEET (UG) retest scheduled on June 21, students might be incited to take to the streets in case of any irregularities, thereby threatening public order.
Telegram's counsel, senior advocate Arvind Datar, contended that the blocking order was disproportionate and lacked a specific basis. He argued that the platform had cooperated with authorities and that a blanket ban was not warranted.
The court noted that the matter required careful consideration and reserved its decision. The outcome is awaited as it could set a precedent for the use of emergency powers to block digital platforms in India.
