Delhi High Court has rejected Telegram’s petition against the temporary ban imposed by the Centre on the messaging app ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination. exam. Justice Tejas Karia held that the Centre’s order was well-founded and had been issued after considering all relevant factors.
The restriction was enforced by the Centre until June 22 amid fears that leaked NEET exam papers could be distributed through Telegram channels. According to the government, false allegations of paper leaks would mislead the candidates.
The government has claimed that it was a necessary step to conduct the re-exam on June 21 fairly. The government had cited organized gangs that were exploiting the students using Telegram.
Attorney General R Venkataramani also supported the government’s position and argued, “ The order is complete in itself. This platform, because of its architecture, is a Frankenstein. If a country like ours cannot take preventive action, then where do we go? A platform created for money says proportionality? The argument of proportionality is completely misconceived.”
Telegram argued that the restriction affected more than 150 million users in India and had wider consequences beyond the alleged misuse of the platform. The platform argued in court that the restriction was having a disproportionate effect on the common user community and businesses that use the platform for their communication purposes.
During earlier hearings, the court questioned how the rights of millions of users could be restricted because of the actions of a small number of individuals. However, considering the government's arguments, the court has allowed the temporary measure.
The decision is seen as a major win for the Centre. The ruling also highlights the issue of platform responsibility, digital rights, and the extent of government powers to protect high-stakes public examinations.
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