June 19, 2026
Telegram on Friday 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 Jun 16 to Jun 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.
