The Delhi High Court on Friday upheld the Centre’s temporary restriction on Telegram ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination, accepting the government’s argument that an emergency intervention was needed to protect the integrity of one of the country’s largest entrance tests.
Justice Tejas Karia ruled that the measures adopted were “least restrictive” in the circumstances, as the ban was limited in duration and linked to a specific examination-security concern. The court declined to interfere with the blocking order, which restricts access to Telegram until June 22, a day after the medical entrance re-test scheduled for June 21.
Telegram had challenged the order, contending that a platform-wide restriction affected more than 150 million users and amounted to a disproportionate curtailment of digital access and speech. The messaging platform argued that the government could have taken narrower action against specific channels or accounts rather than blocking the entire service across the country.
The Centre defended the move as an emergency measure under the Information Technology framework, saying the platform had become a conduit for organised groups claiming to sell leaked papers, answer keys and fabricated examination material. The court was told that the situation required swift action because fraudulent networks could exploit the hours before the test to mislead candidates and undermine public confidence in the process.
The National Testing Agency, which conducts NEET-UG, has been under intense scrutiny after the May 3 examination was cancelled following allegations of question paper leaks and irregularities. The re-examination on June 21 is expected to involve more than 2.2 million medical aspirants, making it a high-stakes exercise for students, parents, coaching networks and public institutions.
Authorities have also directed Telegram to disable its message-editing feature in the country until June 30. Officials have argued that the feature can be misused to alter old posts while retaining timestamps, allowing fraudsters to create the false impression that examination papers or questions had been circulated before the test. Such claims, even when fabricated, can trigger panic among candidates and widen mistrust in the examination system.
The government’s case rested on the argument that the restriction was not aimed at ordinary users or political expression but at preventing organised cheating and fraud during a narrowly defined window. Telegram’s lawyers maintained that the order imposed a sweeping penalty on lawful users, including businesses, educational groups and communities that rely on the platform for communication.
The court had earlier questioned whether the rights of millions of users could be curtailed because of alleged misuse by a limited set of actors. Friday’s ruling indicates that the bench accepted the government’s position that the immediacy of the re-test and the scale of possible disruption justified temporary intervention.
The case has sharpened the debate over platform regulation, examination integrity and proportionality in internet restrictions. Blocking orders under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act have often attracted criticism because of limited public disclosure and the difficulty of assessing whether narrower remedies were available. The Telegram dispute has brought those concerns into the examination-security arena, where courts have also shown sensitivity to the impact of leaks on students.
The NEET-UG controversy has already triggered demands for reforms in the examination system, stronger paper-handling protocols, digital surveillance of leak networks and greater transparency from testing authorities. The Supreme Court has also been seized of wider concerns relating to the cancellation of the earlier test and the arrangements for the re-examination.
The NTA has urged candidates to rely only on official communication channels and ignore messages claiming access to question papers, answer keys or paid services. It has also launched a verified WhatsApp communication channel to send official updates to candidates, while warning that fake accounts and impersonation attempts may intensify before the test.
Police action in some states has pointed to the persistence of fraud attempts linked to social media and encrypted messaging platforms. Candidates have been targeted with offers ranging from low-value fake papers to expensive packages claiming guaranteed access to solved material. Authorities have said no person can access the official question paper before the scheduled examination.
