Telegram moves Delhi High Court against ban ahead of NEET retest
New Delhi: The Indian government has imposed a restriction on Telegram until June 22 ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21, citing misuse by cheating networks.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Telegram has challenged the order in the Delhi High Court, arguing it violates free speech rights of its 150 million users in India. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued the direction under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, acting on a request from the National Testing Agency.
The NTA said the platform’s message-editing feature had been used to “fabricate after-the-event ‘paper leak’ evidence” by editing old messages after exams concluded. As a result, Telegram has also been directed to disable the message-editing feature in India until June 30.
Telegram, in its nearly 200-page filing to the Delhi High Court called the block “disproportionate” and said the order was issued “on the impermissible premise that misuse by a subset of users justifies blocking of an entire platform”. The company argued such an approach “would enable indiscriminate suspension of digital platforms, severely undermining constitutional protections of free speech and access to information”.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov questioned the effectiveness of the ban, stating it punishes 150 million Indian users and “not the insiders who leaked the exam materials,” and noted that leaks had simply moved to other apps.
The restriction comes after the NEET exam held on May 3 was marred by allegations of paper leaks, leading to its cancellation for millions of candidates. The retest is now scheduled for June 21.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and other opposition leaders criticized the move, demanding accountability from the government over repeated exam irregularities.
Tech analysts and legal experts also warned that blocking entire platforms sets a precedent for future digital shutdowns.
