The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed a petition by messaging application Telegram challenging the Union government’s ban on it till June 22, the day after the undergraduate National Eligibility cum Entrance Test re-examination, Live Law reported.
The court held that the Centre “strictly followed the procedure” under the Information Technology Act given the “emergency nature” of the order.
“The government's measures are least restrictive,” Bar and Bench quoted the court as saying. “It cannot be held that the order is disproportionate.”
The court held that under the Information Technology Act, there was no basis to exclude the platform from the scope of the term “information”.
Justice Tejas Karia held that the government was empowered under Section 69A of the Act to order that access to Telegram be temporarily blocked. The section allows the government to block information from public access in the interests of national sovereignty, security and public order, among other grounds.
The ministry of electronics and information technology imposed the temporary ban on June 16 on the recommendation of the National Testing Agency. The agency had claimed that channels on Telegram had been demanding large sums of money from candidates and their families while fraudulently promising to give them access to the question paper for the entrance test for medical college admissions.
Telegram had argued that the government had singled it out, violating Article 14 of the Constitution that guarantees the right to equality. It also contended that the blocking order had affected more than 150 million users.
However, the Union government on Thursday claimed before the High Court that Telegram was becoming the new “dark web”, enabling illegal activities and linking criminals. The dark web is a hidden layer of the internet that cannot be accessed through regular search engines and browsers.
The NEET-UG exam was conducted on May 3, and more than 22 lakh candidates had appeared for it. However, the exam was cancelled after the Rajasthan Special Operations Group began investigating allegations that a “ guess paper ” circulated before the examination contained questions closely matching the actual paper.
The “guess paper” contained around 410 questions , of which about 120 matched the questions asked in the chemistry section, according to the Rajasthan Police.
The Central Bureau of Investigation filed a first information report in the matter based on a complaint by the Union education ministry. It has invoked charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal breach of trust, the Prevention of Corruption Act and the 2024 Public Examinations Prevention of Unfair Means Act.
The 2024 examination was also hit by allegations of paper leaks and irregular grace marks, leading to nationwide protests.
Edited by Sara Varghese.
Read the full article at Scroll.in →📄Source document: Delhi High Court ruling on Telegram ban→4 reports
Scroll.inIndependentCenter2 days agoThe Delhi High Court upheld the Indian government's ban on Telegram until after the NEET re-examination, citing emergency procedures under the IT Act. Telegram challenged the ban, arguing it violated constitutional rights to equality. Separately, the Supreme Court ruled that walking on footpaths is a fundamental right, prioritizing pedestrians over vehicles. In Maharashtra, a school principal and two teachers were booked following an event where students performed to a song allegedly of Pakistani origin, though the principal claims it was from a Turkish TV show.
Bias read (Center): The article presents multiple legal rulings without overt ideological framing. It reports on judicial decisions regarding Telegram's ban and pedestrian rights neutrally, and covers a cultural incident with no clear partisan emphasis. While the incident involving the 'Pakistani' song touches on Indo-
FirstpostParty-alignedCenter2 days agoThe Delhi High Court has upheld a temporary ban on the messaging app Telegram, which was imposed by the central government amid concerns over the spread of misinformation related to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) re-exam.
Bias read (Center): The article reports on a legal decision regarding a temporary ban on Telegram, citing the court's action without apparent ideological framing. The focus is on the legal process and the stated reason (misinformation around NEET), with no evident slant toward either side of the issue.
Official sources cited
- court Delhi High Court ruling on Telegram ban
Scroll.inIndependentCenter2 days ago Delhi HC upholds Telegram ban until NEET re-exam, says Centre followed procedureThe Delhi High Court upheld the Indian government's temporary ban on the messaging app Telegram until June 22, following the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) re-examination. The court ruled that the government 'strictly followed the procedure' under the Information Technology Act, citing the 'emergency nature' of the order. It stated that the measures were 'least restrictive' and not disproportionate. The ban was imposed based on recommendations from the National Testing Agency, which alleged that Telegram channels were involved in fraudulent activities related to the NEET exam.
Bias read (Center): The article presents the court's ruling and legal reasoning without overtly favoring either side. It includes direct quotes from the court and references the legal framework used to justify the ban. There is no evident bias in the language or emphasis, and the report appears to balance the legal and
NDTVIndependentCenter4 days agoOfficials stated the ban was a preemptive move to prevent organized fraud and extortion targeting students, rather than an attempt to suppress discussion around paper leaks.
Bias read (Center): The article presents the government's statement without overtly biased language or selective sourcing. It frames the Telegram ban as a preventive measure against fraud, which is presented neutrally without emphasizing either support or criticism of the policy.
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