Telegram failed to address concerns despite weeks of engagement, Centre to tell Delhi HC

The Centre is set to inform the Delhi High Court that Telegram failed to satisfactorily respond to several concerns raised by authorities despite weeks of discussions and repeated warnings, according to a report by News18.

The government's submissions come amid an escalating legal dispute over its decision to temporarily suspend the messaging platform's operations in India ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21.

According to the report, Centre's position is that the blocking order was not a sudden step but the outcome of prolonged efforts to engage with the company over issues linked to the alleged misuse of the platform.

One of the concerns expected to be highlighted before the court relates to information associated with certain channels that had come under scrutiny. Sources told News18 that authorities were dissatisfied with Telegram's response regarding the disclosure of data and the origins of content linked to those channels.

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The Centre is likely to argue that despite multiple alerts and ongoing communication, the platform failed to adequately address the issues raised.

The matter reached the Delhi High Court after Telegram challenged the government's order, describing it as excessive and unjustified.

During proceedings on Wednesday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta defended the Centre's decision and said the order had been issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. He also informed the court that a post-decisional hearing had already taken place.

"This has not happened overnight. We have been dealing with them since May. Complaints have been received since May," Mehta submitted.

According to the Centre, there is substantial material indicating that the platform was being misused. Government submissions also claimed that some channels linked to examination-related activities resurfaced even after authorities had blocked them.

Mehta repeatedly described the evidence available with the government as "shocking" and said detailed facts and figures would be placed before the court to justify the use of emergency powers.

The Centre is expected to reiterate that the temporary suspension followed a series of attempts to resolve concerns through dialogue and should not be viewed as a sudden or arbitrary action.

Telegram, however, has maintained that it cooperated with the government and responded whenever specific channels were flagged. Senior advocate Dhruv Mehta, representing the company, argued that Telegram had participated in meetings with officials and acted against channels identified by authorities.

He further contended that the order effectively imposed a blanket ban that affected millions of users across the country and was disproportionate to the concerns raised.

The Delhi High Court has issued notice on Telegram's petition and sought responses from the Centre and other stakeholders. The case will be taken up again after the government files its detailed reply and supporting material.