Messaging platform Telegram has approached the Delhi High Court, challenging the Central government’s decision to temporarily restrict access to the platform across India until June 22 in view of concerns over paper leaks ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21.
The matter was mentioned before the Vacation Bench of Justice Tejas Karia, which agreed to urgently list the case for hearing later in the day.
The temporary restriction was imposed following recommendations made by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education. Acting on those recommendations, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued directions under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, restricting access to Telegram in India until June 22 and directing the platform to disable its message-editing feature for existing messages until June 30.
In its petition, Telegram contended that it had already undertaken extensive compliance measures to curb unlawful NEET-related content on the platform. The company stated that it had removed more than 900 links associated with alleged paper leaks, scams and other prohibited content. It further submitted that it had deployed artificial intelligence and machine learning-based monitoring systems to proactively detect and remove unlawful material.
Telegram argued that the impugned order was grossly disproportionate and resulted in a blanket shutdown affecting more than 150 million users across India. According to the platform, the government failed to explain why less restrictive alternatives, including targeted takedowns of specific channels or content, were inadequate and why blocking the entire platform was necessary.
The company further submitted that the order did not adequately consider its impact on millions of legitimate users, including students, teachers and educational communities who rely on the platform for preparation and communication relating to competitive examinations, including NEET.
Telegram also challenged the procedural validity of the order, contending that it was not granted an opportunity of hearing as contemplated under Rule 8 of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009. The platform asserted that it had been actively engaging with authorised government agencies and cooperating with enforcement efforts over the preceding weeks.
Additionally, Telegram alleged violation of Article 14 of the Constitution, arguing that it had been selectively targeted while other similarly situated intermediaries continued to operate without comparable restrictions. According to the plea, the government had not provided any rational basis or comparative analysis to justify singling out Telegram.
Reacting to the government’s action, Telegram Chief Executive Officer Pavel Durov criticised the temporary ban, stating that the measure adversely affected more than 150 million ordinary users rather than those responsible for leaking examination material. He maintained that the restrictions had not prevented the circulation of such content and that those activities had merely shifted to other platforms. Durov also highlighted that Telegram had removed hundreds of channels involved in sharing leaked examination material and scams in India and was taking steps to make edited messages more clearly identifiable to prevent manipulation and backdating of content.
The challenge comes a day after the NTA publicly welcomed the government’s decision and defended the restrictions as necessary to maintain public order and safeguard the integrity of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination process.
According to the NTA, the directions issued by MeitY included a temporary restriction on Telegram’s operations until June 22, covering the examination period and its immediate aftermath, as well as a feature-specific direction requiring the platform to disable editing of already-posted messages until June 30.
The NTA stated that the measures were prompted by organised cheating syndicates allegedly using Telegram channels to defraud students and their families. The agency claimed that several channels operating under names suggesting access to leaked NEET examination papers were demanding amounts ranging from a few thousand rupees to several lakhs of rupees in exchange for purported access to confidential examination material.
The agency reiterated that no examination paper was available outside the secured examination chain and maintained that all such promises were fraudulent. It further stated that the government resorted to platform-level restrictions only after intermediate measures, including channel-specific takedowns coordinated through the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), failed to adequately address the problem.
According to the NTA, the temporary nature of the restriction and the limited disabling of the message-editing feature reflected an attempt to adopt the least restrictive measures necessary to address concerns relating to examination security and public order.
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