Telegram Verdict: Delhi High Court Says Government Can Block Entire Apps Under Section 69A

VoM News Desk | June 19, 2026 | 08:07 PM IST | Breaking News, Courts & Law, India |
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Telegram Verdict: Delhi High Court Says Government Can Block Entire Apps Under Section 69A

New Delhi, June 19: The Delhi High Court has ruled that the Central Government has the authority under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 to block access to an entire digital platform, and not merely specific content hosted on it.

Upholding the temporary restrictions imposed on Telegram, Justice Tejas Karia held that the expression “information” under the IT Act must be interpreted broadly to include software-based applications and platforms. The Court observed that confining the provision only to individual messages, posts, channels or accounts would unduly narrow the scope of the law.

The High Court found that the temporary blocking of Telegram till June 22, along with the disabling of its message-editing feature till June 30, were proportionate measures aimed at preventing misinformation and criminal activity linked to the NEET-UG 2026 examination.

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The Court noted that Telegram’s architecture enables rapid and large-scale dissemination of content, making targeted takedowns ineffective as unlawful channels and bots could easily re-emerge. It further reiterated that intermediaries failing to comply with blocking orders issued under Section 69A may face imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine.

VoM News Desk

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