The Delhi High Court on Thursday reserved its order on Telegram’s plea challenging the government’s temporary ban on the messaging platform ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination. Justice Tejas Karia questioned the restriction, asking how rights of millions could be affected.
The Delhi High Court reserved its decision on Thursday on a petition by messaging platform Telegram, challenging the government’s temporary ban on the app ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21. The case was mentioned before the vacation bench of Justice Tejas Karia.
During the hearing, Justice Tejas Karia questioned the Central government’s stance and remarked,
“How can we stop the rights of 150 million people just because one set of citizens are appearing in examinations?”
Earlier, the court had called upon the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the National Testing Agency (NTA) to file responses regarding the restrictions imposed on Telegram FZ-LLC.
During the hearing, the Solicitor General argued that Telegram had been given a hearing and that its submissions were recorded by a review committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, thereby rejecting Telegram’s argument that proper due process was not followed.
In its petition, Telegram challenged the legality of the ban, which has been in force until June 22. Counsel appearing for the platform submitted that the restriction impacted more than 150 million users in India.
The government order required Telegram to disable its message-editing feature for posts already published, with the restriction continuing until June 30. MeitY also directed removal of the app from app stores, and both Google and Apple complied. Telegram later stopped functioning for existing users in India, though it remained accessible through the use of a VPN.
The NTA, which conducts the examination, has faced significant criticism from candidates and parents over its inability to prevent the question-paper leak.
Factual Backgrounds:
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued the restriction under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, acting on recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA) days before lakhs of medical aspirants appear for the re-test on June 21.
The ban is time-bound and limited in scope. Access will remain restricted until June 22, covering the day of the exam and the immediate period after it.
Separately, Telegram has also been instructed to disable its message-editing feature in India until June 30, effectively shutting down a tool the NTA claims has been repeatedly misused to create fake “paper leak” evidence once the exams conclude.
The NTA termed the step calibrated and necessary.
The agency said,
“The directions have been issued in the interest of public order, in response to the organised use of the platform by cheating rackets to defraud candidates appearing for the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination,”
It also thanked MeitY for intervening promptly, adding that the measures would help ensure the re-exam proceeds safely on June 21.
The background is important. Last month, authorities cancelled the original NEET-UG exam after it emerged that the questions had leaked, and the re-scheduled exam was set for June 21.
The NTA described the platform-wide block as a measure of last resort. It said that removing channels one by one has structural limitations, as operators can simply start new channels. The agency and the Department of Higher Education, it noted, therefore pushed for graduated, platform-level compliance instead.
The restriction is intended to be narrow and confined to the exam window to minimise disruption. The NTA acknowledged that the block inconveniences lakhs of users who rely on Telegram for legitimate personal, professional and educational purposes, and said it regrets the inconvenience.
The NTA reiterated that the re-exam will be held as planned on June 21.
Candidates have been advised to ignore unverified claims, rely only on official NTA channels and the website (neet. nta. nic. in), and report any fraudulent approach to the cybercrime helpline at 1930.
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