Temporary ban on Telegram app in India stays,New Delhi High Court ruled Friday. Decision followed closed-door hearing with Telegram reps,Indian officials .
Indian government banned app over claims that certain Telegram channels sold leaked questions for medical entrance exams. Earlier this week, app yanked from stores,going offline. Ministry of Information Technology said even fake questions could mislead candidates,leading to ban.
This case drew attention as one of year's major tech-government legal battles . Judge Tejas Karia backed government's actions,saying app ban orders were justified and legal.
Telegram,with over 150 million users in India,opposes ban. Founder Pavel Durov slammed decision,arguing it unfairly punished users while leaked content spread elsewhere. Telegram said it removed 900+ links tied to illegal exam content,disputing government claims on response time.
Court filings show Telegram called government's portrayal of talks “one-sided and inaccurate,” saying key details of company's efforts were missing. Indian officials previously unhappy with Telegram's speed in cutting accounts linked to exam paper sales.
Indian move against Telegram fits broader trend,several countries tightening grip on platform. China and Iran have banned it since 2015 and 2018. Telegram also faces regulatory issues elsewhere,like a France probe on criminal content handling,and scrutiny in Malaysia,Australia.
As legal fight drags on,what this means for Telegram,Indian government still hangs in balance…
