The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Centre and other authorities on Telegram’s petition challenging the government’s decision to block the messaging platform until June 22, following concerns over its alleged role in facilitating examination-related misconduct ahead of the NEET re-examination scheduled for June 21.
A vacation bench led by Justice Tejas Karia granted the Centre time to file its reply along with supporting documents and listed the matter for further hearing on June 18. Representing the government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that authorities possess substantial evidence of the platform’s misuse. He stated that complaints regarding Telegram channels allegedly involved in examination-related activities had been received since May and argued that repeated interventions had failed to prevent such channels from resurfacing after being blocked.
The Centre maintained that emergency powers were invoked after extensive monitoring and claimed to have collected “shocking” evidence demonstrating how certain channels were allegedly being used to circulate exam-related content and offer leaked questions in exchange for money.
Appearing for Telegram, senior advocate Dhruv Mehta challenged the ban as excessive and disproportionate. He argued that the actions of a few users could not justify blocking the entire platform and maintained that Telegram had complied with government directives since June 1.
According to Telegram, the company responded promptly to government communications and took action against flagged content. The platform questioned the urgency behind the June 16 blocking order, arguing that the government had failed to explain why emergency measures were necessary after weeks of ongoing engagement.
Telegram also contended that the blocking order lacked adequate reasoning and urged the court to grant interim relief while the matter is under consideration. The company argued that a blanket ban on the platform may not withstand legal scrutiny.
The Centre, however, insisted that Telegram had failed to adequately address concerns despite repeated warnings and said it would present detailed evidence before the court to justify its decision. The matter will be heard again on June 18 as the court examines the legality and proportionality of the temporary ban.
