The Delhi High Court upheld the Centre’s decision to temporarily ban Telegram ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examinations. Justice Tejas Karia held that the government’s measures were the least restrictive and could not be considered disproportionate to the objective sought.
The Centre defended its temporary blocking of Telegram before the Delhi High Court, alleging that the platform has effectively become the “new dark web.” It argued that cybercriminals, fraudsters, and other harmful actors increasingly exploit Telegram’s anonymity to carry out illegal activities and evade detection.
Telegram has moved the Delhi High Court challenging the Centre’s decision to temporarily ban the messaging platform ahead of the NEET examinations. The matter was urgently mentioned before Justice Tejas Karia, who directed that the case be listed for hearing today, after the government restricted access to Telegram until June 22.