Telegram enables criminal activities like terrorism, fraud, piracy, etc and its features allow criminals to escape identification, the Centre told the Delhi High Court in an affidavit
The government has opposed Telegram’s plea challenging MeitY’s earlier order to ban the messaging platform temporarily until June 22
Telegram has become a flashpoint in the controversy around last month’s cancelled NEET-UG exam due to allegations that organised cheating networks disseminated leaked question papers via the platform
In a counter affidavit against Telegram’s plea for a temporary restriction, the Central government reportedly told the Delhi High Court today that the messaging platform has become a “new dark web”, allowing criminals to link and carry out illegal activities.
As per a report by the Bar and Bench, the Centre argued that it identified a Telegram channel titled “NEET Mafia”, which had approximately 18,617 subscribers when last checked. Such channels led the MeitY to impose the temporary restriction.
“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 in its affidavit opposing the petition.
The court ultimately reserved its judgment on Telegram’s plea challenging its suspension as ordered by MeitY under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, which is poised to remain in place until June 22.
Furthermore, Telegram’s cloud-based technical architecture and capacity to host public channels and groups with up to 2 Lakh members enable huge volumes of data and content to be disseminated to wide audiences, the government claimed.
It further alleged that Telegram’s features, which allow automated bots and usernames instead of phone numbers, help criminals hide their identities, and that the platform enables grave criminal offences like drug trafficking, terrorism, child exploitation, cyber scams, financial fraud, and media piracy.
At the heart of the case is the cancellation of the NEET-UG exam last month. The MeitY had ordered a ban on Telegram and also ordered the platform to disable its message-editing feature until June 30. The authorities claimed that organised cheating networks were using Telegram to disseminate leaked question papers.
Telegram has challenged the order on the grounds that it was unconstitutional, and also claims it has taken down over 900 links enabling access to illegal NEET-related content.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the government, appeared in front of a Delhi HC bench today. He argued that the platform has failed to take proactive measures against illegal and suspicious channels despite repeated notices.
He also alleged that the app has a feature allowing users to alter the date and time of previously sent communications. The feature has been misused to create the appearance of leaked question papers that were actually posted post the examination.
Mehta also expressed concerns over Telegram’s capacity to shift the entire population of a channel to another channel within seconds and claimed that the app has been found to enable terror activities in other countries.
Notably, the court questioned the government’s sweeping approach of curtailing the rights of the general public amid the misuse of a platform by the minority.
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