GoKawiilIndia's government has told the Delhi High Court that Telegram was warned about two weeks before it was blocked, and that the platform conceded it could not proactively detect the channels selling leaked exam papers.
The nationwide block, imposed ahead of a national medical exam, disrupted Telegram access well beyond India, reaching users as far away as the UAE.
Telegram says it cooperated throughout and that the ban is unlawful.
What the affidavit says
The Centre filed its affidavit on June 18, according to ANI. It says India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology received multiple complaints about Telegram being used for the alleged paper leak of the NEET-UG 2026 exam, India's national medical entrance exam. The National Testing Agency (NTA) identified channels, groups and bots circulating leaked material and running fraud tied to the exam.
The government says it did not block the app outright.
It first raised concerns directly with Telegram, which the affidavit says acknowledged it had limited ability to detect such content proactively and that its moderators were acting on reported channels.
The affidavit states that authorities initially adopted the least restrictive measure and did not immediately block Telegram. Instead, officials called Telegram representatives for a meeting on June 3, 2026. During the meeting, the Government raised concerns that Telegram was… — ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2026
Hours later, ANI reported that the Delhi High Court reserved its order on Telegram's plea challenging the ban. The block remains in force while the ruling is pending.
The story so far
... continue reading