Telegram moves Delhi HC's decision on Center's decision ahead of NEET-UG re-exam: Here's what we know

Messaging platform Telegram on Wednesday filed a plea in the Delhi High Court against the central government’s decision to ban it ahead of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) retake to prevent a paper leak, which is scheduled for June 21, LiveLaw reported.

The matter was mentioned before Justice Tajas Karia, who agreed to hear it today. The development is based on the recommendations of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education.

In response to the central government’s move, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov noted in a post on X that the decision penalizes more than 150 million Telegram users in the country, and not the “insiders” who leaked the exam materials. He added: “And the ban didn’t stop anything. The leaks just moved to other apps. Over the past few weeks, we’ve taken down hundreds of channels in India that were sharing leaked exam materials and related scams. We’re also making ‘edited’ visible to prevent backdating scams. Telegram is a force for good. Banning it – even temporarily – is a mistake.”

This is a developing story. Further details were awaited.