The Delhi High Court is set to announce its decision on Friday regarding Telegram’s challenge against the temporary suspension of its services in India. The messaging platform contested the government’s move ahead of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21. Justice Tejas Karia reserved judgment after hearing arguments from both Telegram and the Union government.
The plea questions the restrictions imposed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, following recommendations from the National Testing Agency. Telegram objected to the suspension of its services until June 22 and the disabling of its message-editing feature until June 30, arguing that these actions disproportionately impact millions of users.
The Union government defended its decision, citing Telegram’s architecture and its misuse for examination-related frauds as reasons for the emergency blocking powers invoked under the Information Technology Act. The government stated that it resorted to this measure after exhausting other options, including requests for targeted takedowns of unlawful content, which were deemed insufficient.
According to the government, the NTA identified several Telegram channels allegedly involved in the sale of NEET question papers and examination-related scams. These channels, groups, and bots reportedly reached around 1.46 lakh accounts and were soliciting payments from candidates for access to exam papers. The government emphasized that its primary concern is to uphold the integrity of the re-examination for over 22 lakh candidates following alleged question paper leaks in the original NEET (UG) 2026 exam held on May 3.
The Delhi High Court intervened after Telegram urgently sought relief against the government’s temporary restrictions.
