editor_nz
Delhi High Court asked questions on banning the Centre on Telegram ahead of the NEET Re-Test. Delhi High Court questioned the ban on the Centre on Telegram in advance of the NEET Re-Test. The Delhi High Court on Thursday wondered whether restricting access to a popular messaging app that is used by close to 150 million people was a proportionate measure by the Central government to thwart malpractice on the part of some, as NEET-UG 2026 is being re-examined. The court was considering a petition filed by Telegram against the government’s directive to suspend the messaging service’s operations in India till June 22. The temporary ban was put in place to prevent the leakage of question papers and fake answer keys and the spread of misinformation in advance of the re-examination of NEET on June 21.
During the hearing, Justice Tejas Karia observed that while maintaining the integrity of a national examination is important, the rights of millions of users also need to be considered. The court wondered why there was a blanket ban on the platform, given that it was only a small group of users who allegedly used it for wrongdoing. The Centre’s Solicitor General Tushar Mehta defended the government’s stance and called the activity on Telegram “shocking. He claimed that Telegram’s architecture, such as anonymous channels, bots and mirror bots, makes it hard for authorities to effectively prevent the spread of illegal content. The government says that once one bot is taken away, several more can emerge, and leaked content and misinformation can spread quickly.
The Centre argued that the temporary ban was only after multiple complaints regarding the platform’s alleged involvement in exam fraud. It claimed that the move was warranted to ensure the credibility of one of India’s biggest entrance exams. However, Telegram argued that the ban is ill-considered and discriminates against millions of legitimate users. The company said that authorities could have gone to individual channels or content that was contributing to the spread of illegal material rather than blocking the entire platform. It has also been suggested that the government’s order infringes upon users’ right to free speech and access to information. After hearing arguments from both sides, the Delhi High Court reserved its verdict on Telegram’s plea. The verdict by the court will decide on the fate of the still ongoing temporary ban imposed by the government, or whether the platform will get back its access before the examination ends.
