The Centre on Thursday told the Delhi High Court that Telegram is increasingly being used for a range of illegal activities, including terrorism, cybercrime, drug trafficking, child exploitation and financial fraud.
The submission came during a hearing related to Telegram's challenge against the government's temporary blocking order imposed ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21.
‘Telegram has become the new dark web’
The government argued that the messaging platform has evolved into a key communication tool for criminal networks and cyber threat actors.
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“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 told the court, per a report by News18.
According to the government, Telegram's privacy features make it attractive for individuals and groups seeking to avoid detection while carrying out unlawful activities.
“It has been observed that Telegram is being exploited for illegal activities including drug trafficking, cybercrime, extremism, terrorism, child exploitation, and cyber scams and frauds, primarily due to privacy features," it submitted, News18 reported.
Concerns over extremist content and child exploitation
Per News18 report, the Centre also raised concerns over the spread of extremist and radical content through Telegram channels and groups.
“Extremist violent acts performed by terror organisations and other radical content is being propagated by telegram groups and channels by the entities which are associated with terrorist organisations to create misinformation or have the intention to destabilise public order," it said.
The government further alleged that child sexual exploitative and abuse material is being circulated on the platform in violation of the law.
Fraud, piracy and leaked data
The Centre told the court that Telegram is also being used for piracy, with channels distributing copyrighted movies, web series and other content.
On cybercrime, it alleged that criminals use fake identities to create accounts and carry out financial scams.
“Cybercriminals create fake accounts using false identities, which are used to carry out various financial crimes and scams, publish data breaches on Telegram groups/channels," the government said.
According to the submissions, Telegram channels are also being used to coordinate cyberattacks, publish stolen data and facilitate the sale of mule bank accounts used in financial crimes.
NEET-UG case at the centre of dispute
The government's temporary restriction on Telegram was imposed following recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA) ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination.
Authorities also directed Telegram to disable its message-editing feature in India until June 30, citing concerns that it had previously been used to fabricate alleged paper leak evidence by altering messages while retaining original timestamps.
Telegram has challenged the restrictions before the Delhi High Court, where the matter remains under consideration.
FAQs:
Why did the Centre criticise Telegram in court?
The government alleged the platform is being misused for terrorism, cybercrime, fraud and other illegal activities.
Why was Telegram temporarily blocked in India?
The restriction was imposed ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination to prevent alleged misuse related to exam security.
