New Delhi, Jun 18 The Centre on Thursday justified in the Delhi High Court the action to temporarily restrict access to the Telegram app ahead of June 21 NEET-UG re-examination, arguing that the messaging app offers bot infrastructure that could be used to disseminate information in bulk.
On May 12, the National Testing Agency (NTA) had cancelled the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET-UG, held on May 3 for medical admissions amid allegations of paper leak. The matter is currently under investigation by the CBI.
A vacation bench of Justice Tejas Karia is hearing the Telegram app's plea against the decision to restrict its access prior to the NEET-UG retest.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, stated that a single Telegram account can create up to 40 bots.
"Bots are machines; they can further multiply. As per the report, Telegram can offer bot infrastructure which can disseminate information in bulk. This feature is unique as it permits creation of sophisticated networks with minimal human oversight," the law officer said.
Justifying the decision, he said the government does not have this problem with other intermediaries.
"This platform operates through the cloud. Even if they block it and someone does mischief, law enforcement agencies cannot reach the actual user," he said.
He also mentioned that the report indicated that Telegram is frequently used for terrorist activities and that law enforcement agencies face challenges due to this architectural design in various jurisdictions.
The hearing is ongoing.
The high court on Wednesday asked the Centre to file its reply on Telegram's plea against its order temporarily restricting access to the messaging app ahead of the June 21 NEET-UG 2026 re-examination.
