Telegram moves Delhi HC against India ban ahead of NEET re-test

New Delhi: Messaging platform Telegram has challenged the Central government's temporary ban on its services in India, filing an urgent petition before the Delhi High Court. The move comes after authorities blocked access to the platform until June 22 over concerns linked to the NEET-UG re-examination and alleged misuse by cheating networks.

According to legal reports, advocate Madhav Khosla mentioned the matter before a vacation bench headed by Justice Tejas Karia, seeking immediate intervention. Taking note of the urgency, the Court agreed to hear the petition on the same day.

During the proceedings, Telegram argued that the government’s action has severely affected its Indian user base, with more than 150 million users unable to access the platform. The company contended that the blanket restriction has disrupted communication for millions of individuals, businesses and organisations across the country.

The government's decision is tied to the NEET-UG paper leak controversy, which led to the cancellation of the original examination and the scheduling of a re-test. Authorities alleged that several Telegram channels were being used to circulate leaked or fake question papers, coordinate cheating operations and facilitate fraudulent activities related to the examination.

Officials specifically cited channels operating under names such as "PAPER LEAKED NEET", "Re-NEET 2026", "Private Mafia" and "REE NEET MAFIAA". According to the government, these groups were allegedly involved in sharing examination-related content and assisting organised cheating networks.

The Centre also raised concerns about Telegram's message-editing feature, arguing that it could potentially be used to alter timestamps and complicate investigations into the origin and timing of messages. As a result, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) invoked Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, to restrict access to the platform nationwide until June 22.

In a separate directive, authorities ordered Telegram to disable the message-editing feature for already-posted messages until June 30 as part of measures aimed at protecting the integrity of the NEET-UG re-examination process.

The Delhi High Court's decision on Telegram's challenge is expected to have significant implications for digital platform regulation, examination security and the balance between public interest measures and access to online communication services in India.