Delhi HC Telegram verdict LIVE: Court to pronounce judgement soon over centre's NEET-UG linked ban
Delhi HC Telegram verdict LIVE: The Delhi High Court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on Friday at 10:30 am on Telegram's plea challenging the
Delhi HC Telegram verdict LIVE: The Delhi High Court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on Friday at 10:30 am on Telegram's plea challenging the Central Government's decision to temporarily suspend the messaging platform in India ahead of the NEET re-examination. Justice Tejas Karia reserved judgement on Thursday after hearing detailed arguments from both Telegram and the Centre. Defending the temporary ban, the Central Government argued that Telegram had become a major channel for organised cheating groups allegedly involved in leaking and distributing NEET examination materials. According to the Centre, restricting access to the platform until June 22 was a necessary step to safeguard the integrity of the examination and prevent any further misuse.
Why has Telegram challenged the Centre’s temporary ban? Telegram challenged the Centre’s temporary ban in the Delhi High Court, arguing that the blanket restriction on the app is unconstitutional and an excessive measure that unfairly penaliases its 150 million users in India just to tackle localised exam-related fraud. Is Telegram banned in India now? Yes, Telegram is temporarily blocked in India under Section 69A of the IT Act until June 22, 2026. The government enforced this nationwide restriction ahead of the NEET-UG medical entrance re-test, following reports that cheating rackets were using the platform to defraud candidates and share fake leaked exam paper.
Stay tuned for LiveMint for live updates on Delhi HC Telegram verdict Delhi HC Telegram verdict LIVE 10: 03 am Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov hit out at India's IT ministry's ban on Telegram for one week “because some users shared leaked exam questions”. “This punishes 150M ordinary Telegram users in India - not the insiders who leaked the exam materials. And the ban hasn't stopped anything. The leaks just moved to other apps,” he stated. He went on to claim that Telegram has removed hundreds of channels over the past few weeks that were allegedly sharing leaked exam materials and related scams in India.
"We're also making the 'edited' label more visible to prevent backdating scams," he said. "Telegram is a force for good. Banning it - even temporarily - is a mistake."
The BriefWire