Telegram has asked the Delhi High Court to quash India’s temporary nationwide block of the messaging app. The company said the order violates free speech and access to information.

India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ordered Telegram to be blocked across India from June 16 to June 22. It also ordered the company to disable its message-editing feature until June 30. The measures were linked to concerns over material related to the NEET-UG retest.

At a June 17 hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta asked for more time to respond and said the government had repeatedly asked Telegram to fix its systems.

India’s broader blocking regime can block access to online information under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, including through emergency provisions.

The move followed claims on Telegram channels that they had the paper for the rescheduled National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Undergraduate courses, or NEET-UG. The National Testing Agency cancelled the May 3 exam on May 12 after alleged leaks affecting more than 2.27 million candidates.

The case has wider impact because India is Telegram’s largest market, accounting for more than 20% of its global user base.

🔗 Source: Reuters

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