Delhi HC rejects Telegram’s appeal against temporary blocking of app

Telegram lost its bid to ​overturn an Indian government order temporarily banning the messaging app, with a New Delhi court ruling that ‌the government’s actions, aimed at preserving the integrity of a key med school exam, were legal and reasonable.

The ban of the app from June 16 to June 22 has stirred an intense debate in the world’s most populous nation. Free speech rights activists say ​it has set a worrying precedent that cements government powers to curb the use of any ​messaging platform whenever it sees fit.

The government put the block in place after the results ⁠of the country’s exam for students hoping to get into medical schools were scrapped last month amid allegations ​that the question paper had been leaked.

The government is “empowered to issue directions for blocking the public access to Telegram,” Delhi ​High Court Justice Tejas Karia said in his ruling.

Telegram, which has more than 150 million users in India and counts the country as its biggest market, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the verdict. The Indian government also ​did not respond to a request for comment.

The government put the block in place after the results ⁠of the country’s exam for students hoping to get into medical schools were scrapped last month amid allegations ​that the question paper had been leaked.

The government is “empowered to issue directions for blocking the public access to Telegram,” Delhi ​High Court Justice Tejas Karia said in his ruling.

Telegram, which has more than 150 million users in India and counts the country as its biggest market, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the verdict.

It marks the ​most high-profile court tussle between a global tech giant and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ​government this year. ⁠Last year, the government reduced the number of officials who can order content takedowns following a bitter legal battle with Elon Musk’s X.

The Telegram ban was preceded by days of private sparring between the two sides in which the Indian government ⁠rebuked Telegram ​for not proactively removing accounts offering purported leaked exam papers.

Telegram in court accused the government of deliberately omitting details of the company’s proactive processes. Telegram has said it took down more ​than 900 links involving unlawful exam-related content. Reuters