‘Telegram Being Used for Cyber Fraud, Drug Trafficking, Terrorism, Child Sexual Abuse Material’: Centre Files Affidavit

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday commenced hearings on a petition filed by Telegram challenging the Central government's decision to impose a temporary ban on the messaging app ahead of the NEET examination.

A bench headed by Justice Tejas Karia is hearing the matter. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for the Centre.

During the proceedings, Solicitor General Mehta informed the court that a review committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary had heard submissions from Telegram officials and recorded them. The committee unanimously recommended confirming the interim directions imposing the ban.

Telegram argued that the law does not permit the kind of dichotomy created by the order and contended that if the basis of the ban is removed, the order itself cannot survive. The court noted this submission and stated that both aspects would be examined. The platform also pointed to alleged legal flaws in the Centre’s order.

In its affidavit filed before the court, the Central government accused Telegram of being increasingly used for a wide range of illegal activities, including the circulation of leaked examination papers, cyber fraud, drug trafficking, sharing of extremist and terrorism-related content, child sexual abuse material, copyright piracy, and financial scams.

Describing Telegram as a “new dark web,” the government highlighted its strong privacy features, which it said make it difficult for law enforcement agencies to identify offenders. The affidavit further alleged that the platform is used to distribute malware, facilitate cyberattacks, share stolen data, promote money laundering networks, and enable unauthorized access to personal information through bots and channels.

The Delhi High Court asked Telegram to explain the mechanisms it has in place for real-time monitoring and surveillance on its platform, particularly to prevent the rapid spread of illegal content such as leaked examination papers.

Solicitor General Mehta told the court that the government had received communication from the National Testing Agency (NTA) indicating a larger pattern of misuse of the platform. He emphasised that Telegram’s architecture differs significantly from other intermediaries, enabling easier creation and amplification of bots, which complicates efforts to control misuse and the spread of unlawful content.

Mehta also referred to Telegram’s privacy policy, which states that all stored data, messages, and media are deleted when an account is deleted. He argued that the platform’s design poses challenges for authorities in addressing security and law enforcement concerns. Reports have described Telegram as a preferred platform for terrorist activities, he added.

The Solicitor General further informed the court about actions taken by various countries against Telegram for non-compliance with local regulations.

The hearing is expected to continue, with the court examining both the legality of the ban and the platform’s content moderation capabilities.