The Centre on Wednesday defended before the Delhi High Court its decision to temporarily restrict access to Telegram ahead of the nationwide NEET re-examination, saying multiple channels on the platform had been identified as allegedly disseminating information relating to paper leaks and that blocking orders were issued after repeated engagement with the company.

According to the government's submissions, authorities had called Telegram on multiple occasions and asked it to address concerns regarding its systems. However, the Centre contended that the issues persisted, necessitating the temporary restrictions.

The government maintained that the measure was a preventive step aimed at curbing organised fraud and extortion targeting students, and not an attempt to suppress discussion surrounding the paper leak controversy.

The original NEET examination was cancelled in May following allegations that the question paper had been leaked in advance. Reports had suggested that purported leaked papers were being circulated through certain Telegram channels.

Telegram has challenged the government's order before the Delhi High Court.

Responding to the restrictions, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov said the week-long block "hasn't stopped anything" and instead "punishes" 150 million ordinary users in India rather than those responsible for leaking examination material.

The restriction 

According to the Centre, the restriction is "targeted, time-bound and tied specifically to the NEET re-exam window". The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued the order restricting access to Telegram until Monday, the day of the retest, while certain message-editing functionalities are to remain restricted until June 30.

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The government submitted that the principal concern was not merely misinformation but what it described as an active fraud ecosystem operating on the platform. Authorities told the court that channels bearing names such as "Paper Leaked NEET" and "Re-NEET 2026" were allegedly seeking payments ranging from ₹14,000 to ₹25,000 and, in some instances, several lakh rupees from students by claiming to have access to leaked examination papers.

According to government sources, the issue was one of financial fraud rather than free speech, with scammers allegedly exploiting examination-related anxiety among students and parents.

The Centre further argued that Telegram's message-editing feature enabled administrators to alter earlier posts while retaining the original timestamp, which, according to the authorities, could be used to create misleading impressions that examination papers had been leaked before the test.

Government sources also submitted that Telegram does not have a registered office or a grievance redressal mechanism in India, which they said had made it difficult for enforcement agencies to secure timely cooperation from the platform.

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The sources referred to international reports linking Telegram to organised criminal activity, fraud networks and illicit marketplaces, and cited actions by countries including Vietnam, Iraq, Kenya, Algeria and Jordan to impose restrictions on online platforms during examination periods or for law enforcement purposes.

According to the Centre, India's action is narrower in scope than measures adopted by several other countries, as it is confined to a single platform and is limited in duration and purpose.