Court Upholds Telegram Ban for NEET Re-exam

The Delhi High Court has affirmed the ban on the Telegram messenger application, citing the "emergency nature" of the situation. This ruling was made in anticipation of a retest for the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), India's highly competitive medical college entrance examination which attracts over two million candidates.

The court found the government's measures to be the "least restrictive" and "well-founded," indicating they followed the correct procedure under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. This section empowers the government to order intermediaries to block online information under specific circumstances.

This ban was enacted following a scandal involving the alleged leak of the NEET question paper in May. Reports suggested that the leaked paper had been circulated through Telegram channels, leading to the exam's initial cancellation. The court determined that the ban was not disproportionate to the threat posed.