Delhi HC backs Telegram block
The Delhi High Court on Friday rejected Telegram app’s plea challenging the Union Government’s order to temporarily block access to it ahead of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) (NEET-UG) 2026 re-examination. The HC upheld the Government’s decision, saying the step was not disproportionate and that the order was well-founded because the app can facilitate automated dissemination of large amounts of content.
An HC vacation bench of Justice Tejas Karia dealt with two questions. First, whether the Government order to block the app was vitiated by non-application of mind and second, whether blocking of the entire platform satisfied proportionality.
Dismissing the petition, the HC answered both the questions in favour of the Union Government. The court, in its 39-page verdict, upheld the decision of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) under Section 69A of the Information of Technology Act to block the platform to ensure a fair re-examination of NEET-UG on June 21.
“The measures adopted by Respondent No. 1 (the Centre) under the orders constitute the least restrictive measure for achieving the stated objective… temporarily blocking public access to Telegram cannot be held to be disproportionate,” the verdict said.
Referring to Section 69A of the IT Act, the HC said that the Union Government was empowered to block public access to any online information. “Section 69A of the IT Act empowers the Central Government, or any officer specially authorised by it in this behalf, to issue directions for blocking public access to any information generated, transmitted, received, stored, or hosted in any computer resource, where it is satisfied that such action is necessary or expedient in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating thereto,” the court held.
The bench referred to Section 69A of the IT Act and said that the Government was empowered to block public access to any online information. “Section 69A of the IT Act empowers the Central Government, or any officer specially authorised by it in this behalf, to issue directions for blocking public access to any information generated, transmitted, received, stored, or hosted in any computer resource, where it is satisfied that such action is necessary or expedient in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating thereto,” it said that the Government was empowered to block public access to any online information.
The Government had directed that public access to Telegram app be blocked until June 22 and that the message-editing feature be disabled until June 30. It noted that Telegram permits the large-scale addition of users to channels and groups. “The platform architecture of Telegram is conducive to amplification and mass dissemination of content, enabling information to reach a substantial number of users within a short span of time. Consequently, any unlawful content, if circulated on Telegram, is capable of being amplified rapidly and likely to give rise to a public order situation,” the verdict said.
“Telegram also hosts an extensive bot ecosystem, which facilitates automated dissemination of content and other activities without human intervention. Further, the use of usernames in lieu of phone numbers enables concealment of user identifiers and facilitates the rapid dissemination of content, including content that may be illicit in nature,” the court added.
Mock drill before NEET
New Delhi: The Union Government has launched extensive preparations for the NEET UG-2026 re-examination on June 21, with the NTA conducting a nationwide mock drill on Saturday to test security and coordination mechanisms. The exercise, beginning at 9 am, will involve over 2.5 lakh security personnel across the country. More than 5,000 examination centres have been handed over to the NTA and will function under a three-tier security system during the re-exam. According to officials, paramilitary forces will secure question papers and answer booklets, while CCTV surveillance, GPS-tracked transport, police escorts, Aadhaar-based biometric authentication and centralised monitoring will be used to prevent irregularities. A total of 6,669 observers have been deployed across 551 cities to oversee the examination.