Delhi High Court Upholds Temporary Telegram Ban Over Exam Leak

The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to overturn the Indian government's temporary ban on Telegram, ruling that the action was legal and reasonable. The court said the government had the authority to block public access to the messaging platform in order to protect the integrity of a major medical entrance examination.

The temporary ban was imposed from June 16 to June 22 after authorities raised concerns that leaked question papers related to the country's medical entrance exam were being circulated through Telegram channels. The exam results had already been cancelled last month following allegations of a question paper leak.

Justice Tejas Karia of the Delhi High Court stated that the government is empowered to issue directions to block access to Telegram when necessary. The court accepted the government's argument that the platform posed unique enforcement challenges compared to other messaging services.

According to the government, Telegram allows blocked channels to be recreated easily and provides features that can conceal phone numbers and user identities. Officials argued that these features made it difficult to prevent the continued sharing of leaked exam content.

The temporary ban caused Telegram to go offline across India and led to its removal from major app stores. Telecom operators, along with technology companies Google and Apple, implemented the government's order within hours.

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Telegram, which has more than 150 million users in India and considers the country its largest market, challenged the ban in court. The company argued that it had already taken significant action against unlawful content and removed more than 900 links connected to leaked exam materials.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov also criticized the ban, saying it affected millions of legitimate users while the distribution of leaked exam papers had shifted to other platforms.

The court's decision has sparked concerns among digital rights groups. The Internet Freedom Foundation said the ruling sets a worrying precedent and could strengthen the government's ability to restrict access to online communication platforms in the future.

The case has become one of the most significant legal disputes this year between the Indian government and a global technology company, highlighting the ongoing debate over online regulation, platform responsibility, and digital freedom in India.