The Delhi High Court on Friday upheld the Centre’s decision to temporarily restrict access to messaging platform Telegram ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination. The court said the government’s action was limited and necessary to prevent exam-related malpractice.
Justice Tejas Karia dismissed Telegram’s petition challenging the blocking order issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. The court observed that the government had adopted the least restrictive measures and that the decision could not be considered disproportionate.
The Centre had imposed the temporary restriction after concerns were raised that Telegram was being used by organised cheating networks linked to the NEET-UG paper leak controversy.
The original NEET-UG exam held on May 3 was cancelled following allegations of paper leaks and irregularities. The case is currently being investigated by the CBI.
Based on recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) ordered the suspension of Telegram services in India till June 22. The government also directed the platform to disable the message-editing feature for already posted messages until June 30.
Telegram challenged the order in the High Court, arguing that it had been unfairly singled out while other social media platforms continued to operate normally. The company claimed the action violated the principle of equality and lacked proportionality.
During the hearing, Telegram said it had been cooperating with authorities since May and had removed objectionable content quickly whenever specific links were shared. According to the company, more than 900 links related to illegal NEET content had already been taken down. Telegram also said it was using artificial intelligence, machine learning systems and human moderators to detect and remove harmful content.
Senior advocate Dhruv Mehta, appearing for Telegram, questioned the government’s use of Section 69A and argued that there was insufficient application of mind while issuing the order.
Defending the government’s decision, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said authorities had taken preventive steps to protect the integrity of the examination and had chosen the least restrictive option available.
Attorney General R Venkataramani also supported the Centre’s stand and argued that preventive action was necessary considering the possible misuse of the platform.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the High Court reserved its verdict on June 18 and delivered its judgment on Friday, backing the government’s temporary restrictions on Telegram.
