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Delhi High Court on Telegram: ‘Telegram is used for terrorist activities’, Center argued in the court

By Samira Vishwas

Delhi High Court on Telegram: The Delhi High Court has directly asked the messaging platform Telegram what system it has for real-time monitoring on its platform. The court wants to know that when a serious situation like exam paper leak arises, what technical measures does Telegram have in place to immediately stop the spread of illegal content? This matter is related to the security and confidentiality of the country’s major examinations, on which the government has taken a strict stance.

This platform is being misused on a large scale

During the hearing, information received from the National Testing Agency i.e. NTA was cited. The government says that gangs involved in exam manipulation are misusing this platform on a large scale. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued before the court that the entire structure of Telegram is very different from other social media platforms. In this, bots can be created very easily and any information can be spread rapidly. For this reason, it becomes very difficult for the law enforcement agencies to control it.

Allegation of playing with security under the guise of secrecy

During the court proceedings, serious questions were also raised on the privacy policy of Telegram. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that as per Telegram’s policy, when a user deletes his account, all the data, messages and media files associated with it are deleted forever. The government believes that criminals take advantage of this technical facility. After the data is deleted, it becomes impossible for the investigating agencies to collect evidence.

Telegram is used for terrorist activities

Citing global reports, the government side said in the court that due to its very structure, Telegram is becoming a favorite destination for terrorist activities and anti-national forces. Its architectural design is such that it poses major challenges to the internal security and law and order of the country. Many other countries of the world have also taken strict steps against Telegram for not following the rules, the details of which were placed before the court.

Rights of crores of users vs credibility of examinations

During the hearing of this case, Delhi High Court also drew attention to an important aspect. The court asked whether it is right to limit the rights of about fifteen crore users using this platform due to the irregularities of some people. On this, the government argued that some special features of Telegram, such as changing the date and time of sending messages, are actually the biggest problem.

Rumors are spread among lakhs of students

The Solicitor General said that by using these features, people make claims of fake paper leaks in old dates and spread rumors among lakhs of students of the country. The aim of the government is not to snatch away anyone’s rights, but to protect the future of crores of honest students of the country and to save the credibility of national level examinations. The government has appealed to the court not to interfere at this sensitive juncture.

Government’s order is complete in itself

The Attorney General said that the order of the Central Government is complete in itself. He said that because of its architecture this platform is like a ‘Frankenstein’ (uncontrollable and dangerous thing). He argued that if a country like India cannot take preventive measures, then there is little scope for action. He said that platforms built for profit cannot cite the ‘principle of proportionality’ and termed this argument as completely wrong. He further said that the government has not harassed any other intermediaries – even if some are more powerful – because they have their own filtering systems.

The court reserved its decision

At present, the Delhi High Court has reserved its decision on Telegram’s petition challenging the Central Government’s decision to impose a temporary ban on Telegram before the NEET exam.

Also read: Explainer: Lock on Telegram for NEET! Effort to stop copying or punishment of crores of users?

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