The Delhi High Court on Friday (29 June) upheld the Central government's decision to temporarily restrict access to Telegram ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, rejecting the messaging platform’s challenge to the blocking order.
Justice Tejas Karia held that the government had acted within its powers under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act and that the temporary restriction could not be termed excessive or arbitrary.
Background of the Case
The dispute arose after the National Testing Agency (NTA) recommended action against Telegram over concerns that the platform was being used by organized groups allegedly involved in examination-related malpractice connected to the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21.
Acting on those recommendations, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology directed a temporary restriction on Telegram in India until June 22. The government also ordered the platform to disable its message-editing feature until June 30.
Telegram challenged the decision before the High Court, arguing that the government had failed to justify the use of emergency powers and should have targeted specific content instead of restricting access to the entire platform.
While delivering the verdict, Justice Karia observed that the authorities had followed the procedure prescribed under Section 69A and had considered the relevant material before issuing the order.
“The government's measures are the least restrictive. It cannot be held that the order is disproportionate,” the Court said.
The judge also rejected Telegram’s contention that there was no proper application of mind by the authorities. According to the Court, the material placed before it showed that the government had examined the situation and acted within the statutory framework.
The Court further noted that the Centre was empowered to issue such directions under the law and that the temporary restriction met the legal requirement of proportionality.
Finding no legal infirmity in the government’s action, the Delhi High Court dismissed Telegram’s petition and upheld the temporary blocking order as well as the related restrictions imposed ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination.
Case Title: Telegram FZ LLC & Anr. v. Union of India & Ors.
