Delhi High Court Refuses Relief To Telegram, Upholds Centre's Decision To Ban Platform Before NEET Exam

New Delhi: Delhi High court on Friday, June 19, declined to grant relief to the social media platform Telegram it its plea challenging the Union Government’s temporary ban on the platform ahead of the NEET re-examination.

While acknowledging the concerns with the examination upholding the temporary ban imposed by the government, Justice Tejas Karia then asked, “How can we stop the rights of 150 million people just because one set of citizens are appearing in examinations?”

Read Also: Telegram Moves Delhi High Court Against Centre’s Temporary Ban Before NEET Exam

While pronouncing the order, justice Tejas Karia said also raised concerns over the millions of other users’ right to use the platform. The order as passed following recommendations by the National Testing Agency and the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education.

While Telegram asserted that it has put in place proactive measures by taking down more than 900 links involving unlawful NEET-related content, the Centre argued that  the technical and architectural features of the platform were such that enable creation and deployment of automated accounts through bots, capable of disseminating bulk communications without continuous human intervention.

Read Also: ‘How Can We Stop Millions Just because Few Appear For Exam’: Delhi HC During Telegram Ban Hearing