Court Says Centre’s Action Was Proportionate And Legally Justified
The Delhi High Court on Friday upheld the Centre’s decision to temporarily restrict access to Telegram ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, ruling that the government’s action was neither excessive nor disproportionate given the circumstances surrounding the examination.
A vacation bench of Justice Tejas Karia observed that the Centre’s order represented the “least restrictive” measure available and affirmed that the government was empowered under existing law to direct temporary blocking of access to the messaging platform.
The ruling comes a day before the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) re-examination scheduled for June 21, which is being conducted after allegations of question paper leaks led to the cancellation of the original examination held on May 3.
A detailed copy of the High Court’s judgment is awaited.
Why Was Telegram Restricted?
The temporary restriction was imposed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on June 16 following recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA).
The order, issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, blocks access to Telegram in India until June 22, covering the examination period and its immediate aftermath.
According to the NTA, several Telegram channels and groups had been circulating misleading claims related to leaked question papers and were allegedly attempting to exploit anxious students and parents by demanding money in exchange for fake examination materials.
Authorities argued that repeated efforts to remove individual channels and groups had failed to curb the problem, as new channels continued to emerge.
The government subsequently opted for a temporary platform level restriction to prevent the spread of misinformation and examination-related fraud.
Telegram Challenged The Government’s Order
Telegram had approached the Delhi High Court seeking urgent relief against the government’s decision.
During the hearing, the company’s counsel questioned the legality and proportionality of the restriction, arguing that the move had affected more than 150 million users across India.
The platform contended that blocking an entire messaging service penalized millions of legitimate users rather than targeting individuals allegedly involved in spreading misinformation.
However, the High Court accepted the government’s position that the restriction was a necessary and proportionate response in the larger public interest.
Court Backs Government’s Powers Under IT Act
While rejecting Telegram’s plea, the court acknowledged the Centre’s authority to issue temporary blocking directions under the Information Technology Act when required to protect public order and safeguard the integrity of sensitive national examinations.
The court also accepted the government’s argument that alternative measures had already been attempted before resorting to platform-wide restrictions.
Officials maintained that the temporary suspension was intended solely to ensure the fair conduct of the re-examination and would remain in force only for a limited period.
Why Was Telegram’s Editing Feature Also Disabled?
Apart from restricting access to the platform, the government directed Telegram to disable its message editing feature in India until June 30.
The NTA argued that the feature had been misused in previous examination controversies to create fabricated evidence of paper leaks.
According to authorities, users could edit older messages after an examination had concluded and attach actual question papers while retaining the original timestamp, creating the false impression that examination papers had been circulated before the test.
The temporary suspension of editing functionality is intended to prevent the creation and circulation of such misleading content after the NEET-UG re-examination.
NEET Re-Exam To Proceed Amid Heightened Scrutiny
The NEET-UG 2026 re-examination will be conducted on June 21 under enhanced security arrangements.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) continues to investigate the alleged paper leak that prompted the cancellation of the original examination.
The controversy has triggered nationwide debate around examination security, digital misinformation, and the role of technology platforms in high-stakes public examinations.
For now, the Delhi High Court’s decision provides legal backing to the Centre’s efforts to safeguard the integrity of one of India’s most important entrance examinations.
