Telegram Ignored Repeated Warnings, Failed To Address Key Concerns: Centre To Tell Delhi Court
Telegram Ignored Repeated Warnings, Failed To Address Key Concerns: Centre To Tell Delhi Court Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: June 18, 2026, 11:21 IST
Telegram Ignored Repeated Warnings, Failed To Address Key Concerns: Centre To Tell Delhi Court Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: June 18, 2026, 11:21 IST The government is set to defend Telegram's temporary block in court, citing alleged non-compliance, data disclosure issues and repeated unaddressed concerns. Rapid Read Telegram vs Centre (Photo: Reuters) The Centre is expected to tell the Delhi High Court on Thursday that messaging platform Telegram failed to address several concerns raised by the government despite repeated warnings and sustained engagement over the past several weeks, according to top sources familiar with the matter. The government’s stand comes amid an ongoing legal battle over its decision to temporarily block Telegram’s operations in India ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21. Sources said the Centre will highlight before the court that its concerns regarding Telegram were repeatedly flagged to the platform, but did not receive a satisfactory response. According to sources, one of the Centre’s primary concerns relates to the alleged non-disclosure of data and the source of information linked to channels that came under scrutiny.
The government is expected to contend that the platform did not adequately address these issues despite being repeatedly alerted. The matter came up before the Delhi High Court after Telegram challenged the Centre’s temporary blocking order. During Wednesday’s hearing, the Centre defended its action, with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informing the court that the blocking order had been issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act and that a post-decisional hearing had already been conducted. Mehta told the court that the issue had not arisen suddenly and that the government had been dealing with concerns relating to the platform for weeks. “This has not happened overnight. We have been dealing with them since May. Complaints have been received since May," he submitted. The Centre also argued that it possesses substantial material demonstrating alleged misuse of the platform. According to submissions made before the court, certain channels allegedly involved in examination-related activities continued to reappear even after being blocked. Mehta maintained that there was extensive material available with the government and repeatedly described the evidence as “shocking".
He said the Centre would place facts and figures on record to justify its decision to invoke emergency powers. Sources indicated that the government’s position before the High Court will be that the temporary blocking order was not a sudden measure but the culmination of repeated attempts to engage with Telegram and address concerns surrounding misuse of the platform. Telegram, however, has argued that the government’s action was arbitrary and disproportionate. The platform has maintained that it cooperated with authorities, participated in meetings with government officials and acted whenever specific channels were flagged for blocking. Senior advocate Dhruv Mehta, appearing for Telegram, told the court that the company had taken action against channels identified by authorities and argued that the blocking order effectively amounted to a blanket ban affecting millions of users across the country. The Delhi High Court has issued notice on Telegram’s plea and sought responses from the Centre and other parties. The matter is scheduled to be heard further after the government places its response and supporting material on record.
The BriefWire