The Delhi High Court has rejected Telegram's plea against a temporary ban imposed on the platform in India ahead of NEET UG 2026 Exam re-test.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had earlier blocked Telegram in India till June 22 as a precautionary measure ahead of Re-NEET exam. The editing option on the app has been disabled till June 30.
The Delhi HC bench said that the government empowered to direct blocking of access to Telegram, adding, order is least restrictive, not disproportionate, PTI reported.
"Both measures have been taken 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 scheduled on 21 June 2026," NTA said in release on Tuesday, June 16.
Following the government's order, Telegram moved to Delhi High Court against the government's decision.
The government told the Delhi High Court that Telegram acknowledged limitations in proactively detecting channels allegedly involved in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, according to an affidavit filed in the matter concerning an interim ban on the messaging platform.
In its affidavit, the government said MeitY received multiple complaints alleging misuse of Telegram to circulate leaked NEET examination material and facilitate related fraudulent activities.
The NTA identified several Telegram channels, groups and bots that were allegedly being used to disseminate leaked question papers and examination content, the affidavit said.
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