New Delhi, June 19: The Delhi High Court has upheld the government’s decision to impose a temporary ban on the Telegram app platform ahead of the NEET re-examination. On Friday, the court dismissed Telegram’s petition challenging the ban.
Justice Tejas Karia, presiding over a single bench, stated, “The government’s order is valid. A ban can be imposed on any platform under Section 69A of the IT Act.”
The government implemented the temporary ban until June 22 due to concerns over potential paper leaks and organized cheating syndicates. There were fears that networks involved in the NEET-UG controversy were exploiting the platform. Following allegations of widespread paper leaks and irregularities, the government decided to enforce this ban after the original NEET exam was canceled. Additionally, the government ordered the suspension of the ability to edit previously sent messages until June 30.
These restrictions were imposed based on recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA) and directives from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000.
However, Telegram opposed the government’s decision and challenged it in the Delhi High Court. The platform argued that the law does not provide for such discrimination. Telegram described the central government‘s order as legally flawed, stating that the committee had unanimously recommended confirming the interim directive.
In defense of its decision, the central government argued that due to the repeated misuse of Telegram’s architecture in connection with exam-related fraud, authorities had no option but to exercise emergency blocking powers. In an affidavit, the government stated, “This decision was made only after exhausting all other options, including repeated requests to remove illegal content, which proved inadequate.”
After hearing both parties, the Delhi High Court reserved its judgment on Thursday. During the hearing on Friday, the court upheld its decision and dismissed Telegram’s petition.
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