The Delhi High Court upheld the Indian government's temporary ban on the messaging platform Telegram to prevent leaks of the NEET-UG examination paper.
The ruling ensures that the government can restrict access to the app during a critical window for the national medical entrance exam. This action follows previous security breaches and leaks that compromised the integrity of the testing process.
The court said the government's action under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act was proportionate. The ban is intended to curb the distribution of illicit materials, and leaked questions, that often circulate through encrypted channels before a test begins.
Telegram, which serves as a rival to WhatsApp, had challenged the restriction in court. However, the judiciary prioritized the security of the examination process over the platform's accessibility for the short term.
According to the court's decision, the ban remains in effect until June 22, 2026 [1]. This timeline is specifically aligned with the schedule of the NEET-UG re-test to ensure no unauthorized materials are shared among candidates.
The Central Government said that the temporary nature of the block minimizes the impact on general users while providing a necessary safeguard for the exam. The court agreed that the risk of a leak justified the temporary suspension of the service.
“The Delhi High Court upheld the Indian government's temporary ban on the messaging platform Telegram.”
This ruling reinforces the Indian government's authority to use broad digital blocks to maintain the integrity of high-stakes national examinations. By upholding the ban, the Delhi High Court has set a precedent that the perceived need for academic security can outweigh the digital rights of a platform and its users during specific emergency windows.
