Telegram has appealed to the Delhi High Court after India temporarily blocked access to the messaging app just days before the country’s crucial NEET medical entrance exam. The government says the shutdown was needed to stop cheating networks from spreading leaked test papers, while Telegram argues the move is both misguided and ineffective.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov called the decision a “mistake” and said it would not stop the leaks because those responsible had already moved to competing apps. He also said Telegram had recently acted as a “force for good” by removing hundreds of channels linked to leaked exam material and fraud tied to the Indian test.
India is a major market for Telegram, with more than 150 million active users. Many are students who use the platform for free study materials and learning groups. The block has triggered protests across the country, and the opposition accuses the government of harming young people’s futures instead of addressing the deeper corruption in the exam system.
The restriction was imposed under a provision of India’s IT law that allows platforms to be blocked in the name of the country’s “sovereignty and integrity.” It is the first time a popular messaging app has been broadly blocked nationwide over exam-cheating concerns. The Central Bureau of Investigation is leading the probe into the leak, more than a dozen suspects have already been arrested, and India is preparing for a retest on Sunday, with the Air Force being used to transport secured papers.
