NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court issued notice on a plea filed by Telegram challenging the Centre’s temporary blocking order on Wednesday. The court also granted the respondents time to file their replies along with supporting documents.The matter is now scheduled to be heard at 2:30pm on Thursday, news agency ANI reported.Telegram has moved the high court against the government’s decision to temporarily restrict access to the messaging platform ahead of the upcoming National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) (NEET-UG) re-examination for 2026, scheduled for June 21.The ban was ordered by the Centre under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act and is set to remain in force until June 22. It comes amid concerns over the alleged misuse of the platform in connection with leaks and fraudulent claims about exam papers ahead of the re-examination.Telegram had sought interim protection against the ban. The court observed that granting such relief could effectively mean staying the entire order. To this, solicitor general Tushar Mehta responded that doing so would “effectively amount to allowing the writ petition,” ANI reported.“If court posts matter tomorrow, there is something shocking I can show,” SG Tushar Mehta told the court.The court also took note of the Centre’s submission that “nothing will happen overnight” before adjourning the hearing.(With agency inputs)
