Telegram challenges India block over exam leak fears
Telegram told a New Delhi court India’s temporary block on the app is unconstitutional and unfairly restricts users’ speech.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
2 min read
Telegram has challenged an Indian government order that temporarily blocked access to the messaging app over exam fraud concerns, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. The case matters because the company says the move cuts off a platform used by more than 150 million people in India and places broad limits on online speech.
The company made its challenge in a New Delhi court on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. The government order took effect on Tuesday and was aimed at limiting Telegram channels that claimed to have obtained exam papers before tests were held.
In its court filing, Telegram called the order unconstitutional and said it placed an excessive restriction on users’ fundamental right to free expression, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. The company argued the government’s action was too broad for the problem it sought to address.
Telegram also warned in the filing that keeping the block in force would allow broad suspensions of digital platforms, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. The company described the order as a platform-wide shutdown affecting more than 150 million users in India.
The company said the government had not adequately weighed how the block would affect education-related use of the app, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. Telegram argued that large numbers of students and teachers use the service to share study material and communicate with coaching institutions.
The dispute has renewed criticism of broad digital restrictions in India, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. Activists have long said the legal provision used for such orders can be used to limit free speech, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government says its actions comply with the law and serve the public interest.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov questioned the ban on Wednesday, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. He said the measure punished the platform’s 150 million Indian users rather than the insiders responsible for leaking exam material.
The order followed a wider controversy over exam leaks in India. Last month, the government cancelled the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test, a major undergraduate entrance examination for medical schools, after authorities found that questions had been leaked in advance, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.
The leaks sparked student protests around the country, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. The controversy also helped fuel the rise of the satirical Cockroach Janta Party, which called for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign.
Telegram has expanded quickly in India, which is now its largest market by downloads, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. WhatsApp remains the country’s leading messaging platform.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.