The Delhi High Court has upheld the Centre’s decision to temporarily suspend Telegram’s services across India before the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination. The court stated that the government had followed the prescribed procedure under law for emergency blocking powers. Justice Tejas Karia, in rejecting Telegram’s plea against the restrictions, emphasized that the orders were proportional and justified given the circumstances of the medical entrance exam.
Telegram had challenged the Centre’s suspension decision, which included disabling message-editing features. These actions were taken following recommendations by the National Testing Agency (NTA) under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The Union government defended its move, citing Telegram’s misuse for examination-related frauds as the reason for invoking emergency blocking powers.
The Centre’s decision, as per the affidavit filed in court, came after exhausting alternatives like targeted content takedowns. The NTA identified Telegram channels involved in selling alleged NEET question papers and scams, reaching around 1.46 lakh accounts. Law enforcement faced challenges due to Telegram’s features, leading to platform-wide restrictions to prevent further misuse before the re-examination.
The NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination is set for June 21 for over 22 lakh candidates due to alleged question paper leaks in the original May 3 exam.
