Delhi High Court Upholds Telegram Ban Ahead of NEET-UG 2026 Re-Exam

Key Points

THE DELHI HIGH COURT on Friday, June 19, 2026, upheld the temporary ban imposed on the messaging app Telegram. The central government had imposed the ban on the platform ahead of the Re-NEET examination scheduled for 21 June, 2026, citing that it was being used by cheating networks involved in the NEET-UG exam leak.

The court held that the government had sufficient and appropriate grounds to impose the temporary restriction on the app, and that the measures it adopted were narrowly tailored to address the concern of examination malpractice.

Delhi High Court Upholds Telegram Ban 

Pronouncing the judgement, Justice Tejas Karia remarked that the central government is constitutionally empowered to make such a decision and has demonstrated sufficient grounds for invoking its emergency powers under the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000.

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Telegram had filed a petition against the central government challenging the blocking order on June 17, 2026. Dismissing Telegram's plea, the court remarked: “R1 (Government) was empowered under Section 69A to direct blocking of access to Telegram. Test of proportionality is satisfied ... The government's measures are least restrictive. It cannot be held that the order is disproportionate.” 

In addition, the court also remarked that the reasons for the temporary ban, as cited by the government, were justified given the emergent circumstances surrounding the conduct of the NEET-UG re-examinations.

“After considering all arguments, we found that given the emergency nature of impugned orders, Respondent strictly followed the procedure,” the court observed. 

The central government, on Thursday 18 June 2026, had informed the high court that the messaging app is a key part of cheating and paper-leak rackets, who exploit the platform for conducting illegal activities ranging from cybercrime and financial frauds to terrorism and circulation of leaked examination papers. 

Why Telegram Was Banned Ahead of the NEET Re-Examination 

The Centre imposed a temporary ban on Telegram over concerns that organized cheating networks linked to the NEET-UG paper leak had used the platform to facilitate malpractice.

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The re-examination was scheduled after the original NEET-UG exam held on May 3, 2026, was cancelled amid allegations of paper leaks and other irregularities. The case is currently under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Acting under Section 69A of the IT Act and on the recommendation of the National Testing Agency (NTA), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) ordered a temporary suspension of access to Telegram in India until June 22, 2026, directing internet service providers to block access to the app. It also instructed Telegram to disable the message editing feature for already-posted messages until June 30. 2026.

Additionally, the government asked Google and Apple to remove Telegram from their respective app stores during the period of restriction.

[Edited by: Vaishnavi Sivadasan]

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