Telegram challenges Indian ban order over medical exam

Social media platform Telegram has moved a court in India against government directions restricting the platform ahead of a crucial medical college entrance test scheduled for June 21.

The matter was mentioned before a bench of Delhi High Court on Wednesday, which agreed to hear it on an urgent basis, Press Trust of India reported.

India’s federal National Testing Agency on Tuesday said that the direction has been issued restricting Telegram for a “defined and limited period ending June 22.”

The test to enter undergraduate medical programs is taking place after a similar examination held on May 3 was scrapped last month, following a paper leak. The re-exam is being conducted for nearly 2.3 million registered candidates.

The move has triggered criticism from Telegram founder Pavel Durov.

“India’s IT ministry banned Telegram for one week because some users shared leaked exam questions. This punishes 150M+ ordinary Telegram users in India — not the insiders who leaked the exam materials,” he wrote on US social media platform X.

“And the ban hasn’t stopped anything. The leaks just moved to other apps.”