Telegram Is "Like Frankenstein": Centre Defends Move To Block Platform

"Telegram has become the new dark web... Criminals have rapidly adopted Telegram to post links on channels that connect to dark web forums," the Centre told the HIgh Court today

18 Jun 2026, 12:26 · www.ndtv.com

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Telegram is banned in India till June 22 due to links with NEET paper leak criminals
The platform is compared to the dark web for enabling hard-to-trace illegal activities
Telegram allows groups up to 200,000 members and uses bots to conceal user identities

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The instant messaging platform Telegram is becoming the new dark web, linking criminals and enabling their illegal activities, the Central government told the Delhi High Court today. The platform, which has challenged the government's temporary ban on it following the NEET paper leak, has argued that it is complying with the current laws and the government order is disproportionate.

The Centre has banned Telegram's operations in India till June 22, ahead of the re-examination for the all-India medical entrance test.

The test was cancelled in May after a paper leak and subsequent investigations found that the criminals were using Telegram to conduct their activities.

"NEET Mafia"

In court today, the Centre likened the messaging platform to Frankenstein's monster.

"Telegram has become the new dark web, linking threat actors. Criminals have rapidly adopted Telegram to post links on channels that connect to dark web forums through deep web links, making it hard for authorities to track and attribute criminals," the Centre said.

Read: Uttarakhand Man Used Telegram, Signal To Promote Radical Ideology, Arrested

A Telegram channel titled "NEET Mafia" has been identified, which had approximately 18,617 subscribers when last checked. This channel, the Centre said, was actively disseminating content relating to alleged NEET examination paper leakage, advance booking arrangements, payment collection mechanisms and assurances regarding availability of examination-related material.

The government described the measure as necessary to protect the integrity of the re-examination scheduled for 21 June.

Groups Of 2 Lakh, No Phone Numbers

The Centre claimed that Telegram's unique technical architecture, which is completely cloud-based, permits the transmission of large volumes of content.

Photo Credit: NDTV

The platform permits groups of up to two lakh members and public channels capable of broadcasting content to virtually unlimited audiences, thereby significantly amplifying the reach of any unlawful content.

"The scale of the said channel demonstrates the capability of Telegram to facilitate mass dissemination of unlawful examination-related content to thousands of users simultaneously", the Centre's counter affidavit added.

Moreover, the platform enables the use of bots and usernames instead of phone numbers, which has made it fertile ground for criminal activity by persons who seek to conceal their identities, the Centre has argued.

Read: Every Step Will Be Taken In Interest Of 22 Lakh Young Minds: Exam Body Chief On Telegram Ban

The other illegal activities that take place over the platform include drug trafficking, terrorism, child exploitation, cyber scams and fraud.
"Extremist violent acts performed by terror organizations and other radical content is being propagated by telegram groups and channels by the entities which are associated with terrorist organization to create misinformation or have intention to destabilise public order," the affidavit reads.

Telegram Says Unconstitutional

In a petition challenging the ban, Telegram said a wholesale blocking of the app was impermissible and unconstitutional.

⁠The company also claimed it has taken down more than 900 links related to unlawful NEET content after deploying artificial intelligence, machine learning tools and manual moderation to identify violations.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had earlier restricted access to the Telegram platform in India till June 22. The platform, meanwhile, was asked to disable its message-editing feature for messages already posted till June 30.

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