Telegram Tells Indian Court that Blocking App Would Undermine Constitutional Protections
- On Tuesday, India temporarily blocked Telegram nationwide until June 22, citing concerns that organized exam-fraud networks used the platform to circulate leaked medical entrance examination material ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination.
- Authorities imposed restrictions under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act after the National Testing Agency alleged that cheating rackets used Telegram to manipulate timestamps and fabricate evidence of paper leaks.
- Telegram challenged the ban in the Delhi High Court on Wednesday, arguing that blocking the entire service violates Article 14 of the Constitution and punishes more than 150 million ordinary users in India.
- Accusing Reliance of disrupting Telegram access outside India via BGP hijacking, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov claimed the operator's actions may be part of a competitive war involving Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp.
- Solicitor General Tushar Mehta defended the government's action, promising to reveal "shocking material" regarding platform misuse, as the Delhi High Court adjourned the matter to Thursday to hear further evidence.
63 Articles
63 Articles
'How Can Rights Of 150 Million Telegram Users Be Curtailed For NEET Retest?': Delhi HC
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on a plea by Telegram against the Centre’s move to temporarily restrict access to the massaging app ahead of June 21 NEET-UG re-examination. A vacation bench headed by Justice Tejas Karia reserved the order after hearing arguments from senior advocate Dhruv Mehta, appearing for the app, and Attorney General R Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who represented the Cent…
Amid the ongoing legal dispute over Telegram, the Central Government has told the High Court that the platform is becoming a convenient medium for terrorist activities. The court is currently hearing questions regarding the security and use of the platform. The next hearing and decision in the case are considered crucial.
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