Delhi HC to decide Telegram’s NEET suspension plea.
Telegram has challenged the Centre’s temporary suspension order, seeking restoration of services and message-editing features nationwide.
New Delhi — The Delhi High Court is poised to deliver a verdict on Friday, June 19, in a high-stakes challenge by messaging platform Telegram against the Centre’s decision.
A single‑judge bench led by Justice Tejas Karia reserved judgment on Thursday after hearing arguments from both Telegram and the Union government. The court’s website lists the hearing outcome to be announced at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, and many students, parents and digital‑rights observers will be watching closely.
Telegram has asked the court to set aside the government’s order to block its service until June 22 and to disable the app’s message‑editing feature until June 30. The company argues the measures are disproportionate and cause real harm to millions of ordinary users who rely on the platform for work, study groups, news and daily communication.
The Union government, through an affidavit filed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), defended the move as a reluctant but necessary step. Officials told the court that Telegram’s architecture, and the platform’s repeated misuse in examination‑related frauds, left authorities with “no other option” but to invoke emergency powers under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. MeitY said the decision came only after “exhausting alternatives,” including repeated requests for targeted takedowns that proved inadequate.
Central to the government’s case were findings from the National Testing Agency (NTA), which flagged a number of Telegram channels, groups and bots allegedly involved in selling purported NEET question papers and facilitating exam scams. The government claimed those identified entities had a combined reach of roughly 1.46 lakh accounts and were openly soliciting payments from candidates in exchange for access to alleged exam materials.
For the government, the immediate imperative was to protect the integrity of the re‑examination, which will be taken by more than 22 lakh candidates after the original NEET (UG) exam Officials say the temporary restrictions were intended to prevent further dissemination of stolen content and curb organized abuse that could undermine the re‑exam.
Telegram countered that a nationwide shutdown was an overbroad response that swept up ordinary users and chilled legitimate speech and commerce. The company also argued the restrictions would hinder its ability to cooperate with targeted enforcement, and that alternative, less intrusive measures were available.
Courts have grappled with this tension before, and the Delhi High Court’s decision will be closely parsed for its legal reasoning and any signals it sends about future emergency blocking orders under Section 69A.
Students and their families are among those most directly affected: many have been anxious about both the security of the re‑examination and disruptions to study groups and communication channels. Meanwhile, civil liberties groups and technology advocates have argued for more transparency and for precise, proportionate remedies that target bad actors rather than entire platforms.
As the court prepares to speak, the competing narratives remain clear: the government stresses urgency and the need to protect an exam taken by millions, while Telegram presses for proportionality and the protection of everyday users. The verdict will settle the immediate dispute — and may also shape how India balances internet governance and civil liberties in future crises.