Delhi High Court Seeks Centre’s Reply on Telegram’s Challenge to Pre-NEET Exam Ban
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Union Government on a petition by the messaging platform Telegram, challenging the temporary suspension of its services in India. The ban, imposed under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, is set to remain until June 22, ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination scheduled for June 21. The court directed the government to file its response by Thursday, June 18, and listed the matter for further hearing at 2:30 p.m.
The case stems from the Centre’s decision to block access to Telegram after reports that organised networks involved in the NEET-UG controversy were using the app to circulate leaked or fabricated question papers and coordinate fraudulent activities. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued the blocking order citing the need to maintain the integrity of the examination process. Additionally, Telegram has been directed to disable the editing of previously sent messages until June 30 to prevent manipulation of timestamps.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, alleged that several Telegram channels were being used to offer leaked examination questions in exchange for money. He stated that authorities had repeatedly alerted the company to these concerns and provided specific examples, but the issues persisted. “If you give me time till tomorrow morning at 8 a.m., I will place shocking things before the court,” the Solicitor General said, arguing that the app had become a conduit for examination malpractice.
Senior advocate Dhruv Mehta, appearing for Telegram, contested the legality of the blocking order. He contended that the government’s action was disproportionate and failed to consider the company’s responses and cooperation. Telegram has been in discussions with government agencies since early June and has actively removed objectionable content when notified. The company stated in its petition that it has taken down more than 900 links associated with unlawful NEET-related material, using artificial intelligence tools, machine learning systems, and human moderators to detect and remove violations.
Telegram argued that the ban is discriminatory because other social media intermediaries continue to operate without similar restrictions. It further submitted that holding an entire platform responsible for the conduct of a subset of users violates constitutional guarantees, including the right to free speech and access to information. “Our app is used by students who regularly get study material over it. Teachers use our platform to teach. It’s used for business purposes and even for several other things. This is a curtailment of fundamental rights of those who use our app,” Mr. Mehta told the court.
After hearing both sides, Justice Tejas Karia observed that any digital platform could potentially be misused. The court sought clarification from the government regarding the scale and extent of the alleged illegal activity on Telegram and asked the Centre to place its response by the next hearing date.
