Delhi HC upholds government’s Telegram block ahead of NEET re-test

The Delhi High Court has upheld the Centre’s temporary block on Telegram ahead of the June 21 NEET-UG re-test, according to later reporting on the case.

The ruling ends a fast-moving challenge over whether the government could restrict a widely used messaging platform to curb exam fraud and leaked papers tied to one of India’s most closely watched entrance tests.

Court decision

The dispute reached the High Court on an urgent timeline because the re-test was days away. On June 18, the court asked the Centre, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Testing Agency to explain why the restriction was needed.

Later reporting the same day said the court reserved its verdict on Telegram’s plea challenging the temporary order.

By June 19, reports said the court had rejected Telegram’s challenge and upheld the Centre’s suspension, finding the restriction lawful and proportionate in the exam-security context.

Why the block was imposed

The restriction was imposed under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. Reporting says the temporary block runs until June 22, while some Telegram features remain restricted until June 30.

The National Testing Agency said the action was taken in response to organized use of the platform by cheating rackets to defraud candidates in the NEET-UG re-examination.

The Centre argued in court that Telegram had been used for illegal activity, including exam paper leaks, and defended the move as necessary to protect the integrity of the test.

Telegram’s challenge

Telegram challenged the order as too broad, saying it affected users far beyond the alleged exam-related misuse. Reporting during the hearing said the court questioned how the rights of roughly 150 million users could be curtailed for a restriction aimed at stopping fraud linked to a single examination.

That argument went to the heart of the platform’s challenge: whether the government’s response was narrowly targeted enough to address the problem without imposing a wider burden on ordinary users.

What changed during the hearing

The case moved quickly over two days. First came the court’s request for justification, then the reserved verdict, and then reporting that the bench had upheld the suspension.

The sequence matters because it shows the court was weighing both the urgency of the exam-fraud concerns and the broader reach of a platform-level restriction. The NEET-UG re-test, scheduled for June 21, made timing central to the dispute.

Broader stakes

The case has become a test of how far Indian authorities can go under Section 69A when they believe a platform is being used to facilitate wrongdoing tied to a specific public exam.

NEET-UG is a high-stakes medical entrance test, so even a temporary leak or manipulation allegation can trigger aggressive enforcement. The government’s position was that blocking Telegram for a short window was necessary to stop fraud rings from spreading leaked papers and misleading candidates.

Telegram’s position was the opposite: that a restriction this broad punishes ordinary users and goes well beyond what is needed to address the alleged misuse.

What happens next

The immediate question is whether the court issues a written order that sets out its detailed reasoning on lawfulness, proportionality and scope.

That written decision would clarify how the court viewed the balance between exam security and platform access, and whether the government’s evidence was enough to justify the temporary shutdown.

It is also unclear whether Telegram will seek further relief after the adverse ruling. Reporting says the temporary block remains in place until June 22, with some feature-level restrictions lasting until June 30.

For users in India, the practical issue is simple: how long the suspension stays in force, and whether the court’s ruling affects any further restriction beyond the original exam window.