Delhi HC denies interim relief to Telegram against ban
The Delhi high court has sought the Centre's response and will hear the matter again on 18 June.
The Delhi high court on Wednesday refused to grant immediate interim relief to Telegram against the Centre's temporary ban on the instant messaging platform ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination on 21 June.
Hearing the app's urgent petition, Justice Tejas Karia issued notice to the Centre, seeking its response to the challenge against the blocking order.
Counsel for Telegram argued that the government order contained no valid grounds for blocking the platform. In response, solicitor general of India Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Union government, said he possessed specific information, including user IDs, and had alerted the platform to the issue, asking it to rectify its systems. “They were repeatedly called and told that these are issues, and you correct your system. But they failed to do it.”
Quick answers to key questions
The Delhi High Court denied Telegram's petition for immediate relief, as it is seeking responses from the Centre regarding the blocking order while emphasizing the government's concerns over organized cheating networks.
The Centre justified the temporary ban on Telegram by citing its exploitation by organized cheating networks to circulate leaked examination papers ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination.
The ban on Telegram impacts over 150 million users in India, disrupting their services while allegedly failing to deter the actual perpetrators behind examination leaks, according to Telegram's CEO.
The government has specifically targeted Telegram's message-editing feature, ordering it to be disabled temporarily to prevent the manipulation of old messages to fabricate evidence of exam paper leaks.
The NEET-UG re-examination is scheduled for 21 June, following the imposition of the Telegram ban until 22 June to prevent cheating related to the exam.
Telegram argued that the ban was harming its business interests and disrupting services for millions of users. However, the court declined to stay the government's action at this stage.
The Centre has blocked Telegram until 22 June under Section 69A of the IT Act, citing concerns about paper leaks. The matter will be heard again on Thursday.
Mint's emailed queries to the education ministry and telegram remained unanswered.
Pre-emptive measure
The temporary ban was imposed to prevent the misuse of Telegram by groups allegedly circulating leaked examination papers and misleading candidates.
The NEET-UG examination was conducted on 3 May, with nearly 2.28 million candidates appearing across more than 5,000 centres nationwide. However, allegations of a paper leak triggered widespread protests and investigations, prompting authorities to cancel the results and schedule a re-test.
Apart from blocking access to Telegram, the government has also directed the platform to disable, within India, its message-editing feature for previously posted messages until 30 June.
The order has been issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which empowers the government to direct intermediaries to block access to online content in the interest of sovereignty, security and public order.
Telegram has strongly opposed the decision.
Responding to the government’s action, Telegram founder and chief executive Pavel Durov said the move penalizes millions of legitimate users while failing to deter the actual perpetrators behind examination leaks.
“The decision punishes over 150 million Telegram users in the country, not the insiders who leaked the exam materials. And the ban hasn’t stopped anything. The leaks just moved to other apps,” Durov said in a post on X.
About the Authors
Yash Tiwari is a Mumbai-based journalist who reports on corporate and regulatory developments, with a focus on court-driven policy shifts and the intersection of law and public policy. He has been in the profession for two years. Before joining Mint, he worked at NDTV Profit as an assistant producer on the TV desk while also reporting, gaining experience across television and print journalism and combining reporting with production expertise.<br><br> Born in Kolkata, a city he remains deeply connected to, Yash has a keen interest in the technicalities of Indian law and aims to decode complex legal developments in a clear and accessible manner for readers. He is a graduate of the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, where he completed his postgraduate diploma in journalism.<br><br> He closely follows politics and government policies, and has covered several state elections as a freelance journalist. His work is driven by the idea of making law less intimidating and more understandable for the general public.<br><br> When not at work, Yash can be found playing cricket, revisiting classic matches, or engaging in conversations about the evolving landscape of law and policy in India.
Krishna Yadav is a Senior Correspondent at Mint, based in New Delhi, and part of the corporate bureau. He joined the newsroom as a trainee in 2023 and quickly grew into his current role. He writes on legal and regulatory developments in corporate India, with a focus on insolvency, taxation, company law, and policy. His reporting includes tracking and breaking key legal stories from the Supreme Court, Delhi High Court, NCLT, and NCLAT.<br><br>With a background in law, Krishna is known for simplifying complex legal developments into clear, accessible stories for readers. His work focuses on trends in corporate law and policy that affect businesses. This ranges from explaining tax disputes—like whether coconut hair oil is edible—to writing on why celebrities are seeking personal rights protection. He closely tracks India’s insolvency system, covering issues such as creditor losses, gaps in the process, and challenges in how the framework works in practice.<br><br>Krishna also tracks developments within law firms—covering hiring trends, how firms help companies navigate global challenges, and how the legal industry is adapting to artificial intelligence. Beyond legal reporting, he has written long-form pieces, including on-ground coverage of the 2024 general elections, capturing the scale and logistics of polling across India.<br><br>Outside work, he enjoys travelling, exploring new places, and reading about geopolitics and history.
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