New Delhi: The Centre is expected to tell the Delhi High Court on Thursday that messaging platform Telegram failed to adequately address several concerns raised by the government despite repeated warnings and sustained engagement over the past several weeks, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The government’s submission comes amid an ongoing legal battle over its decision to temporarily block Telegram’s operations in India ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21.
Sources said the Centre will argue that concerns regarding the platform were repeatedly flagged but did not receive satisfactory responses. One of the key issues, according to government sources, relates to the alleged non-disclosure of data and the source of information linked to channels that came under scrutiny.
The matter reached the Delhi High Court after Telegram challenged the blocking order, describing it as arbitrary and disproportionate.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta defended the Centre’s action, informing the court that the order had been issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act and that a post-decisional hearing had already been conducted.
“This has not happened overnight. We have been dealing with them since May. Complaints have been received since May,” Mehta submitted before the court.
The Centre also maintained that it possesses substantial material indicating alleged misuse of the platform. According to court submissions, some channels linked to examination-related activities allegedly resurfaced even after being blocked.
Mehta described the evidence available with the government as “shocking” and said facts and figures would be placed on record to justify the invocation of emergency powers.
Telegram, meanwhile, has argued that it cooperated with authorities, attended meetings with government officials and acted against channels specifically flagged for blocking. Senior advocate Dhruv Mehta, appearing for the platform, contended that the order effectively amounted to a blanket ban affecting millions of users across India.
The High Court has issued notice on Telegram’s plea and will hear the matter further after the Centre files its detailed response.
Sorry, there was a YouTube error.
