Delhi High Court Upholds Temporary Telegram Block Ahead of NEET‑UG Retest

The Delhi High Court rejected Telegram’s challenge and upheld the government’s order to block access to the messaging app from June 16 to June 22, extending the restriction to cover the NEET‑UG undergraduate medical entrance exam retest on June 21. Justice Tejas Karia ruled that the centre’s measures were “least restrictive” and complied with the procedural requirements of Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, which authorises blocking of information for reasons of national sovereignty, security and public order.

The ban, affecting more than 150 million Indian users, was imposed after authorities said Telegram channels were being used to sell leaked exam papers and to circulate fraudulent questions. The platform reported that it had removed over 900 links containing unlawful content, but the court found the steps insufficient to safeguard the integrity of the national exam. In addition, the court upheld a separate directive requiring Telegram to disable its message‑editing feature in India until June 30, citing concerns that edited messages could be used to fabricate evidence of leaks.

Telegram’s appeal argued that the order violated equality provisions of the Constitution and singled out the app, but the court held that the emergency nature of the situation justified the temporary restriction. The decision marks a significant affirmation of state power over digital platforms in India.