The Delhi High Court on Thursday questioned the BJP-led Union Government's temporary ban on messaging app Telegram, ahead of the NEET-UG retest, asking how the rights of 150 million users could be curtailed just because a section of the citizens were taking an exam.
A vacation bench of Justice Tejas Karia reserved its verdict after hearing arguments from both sides on a plea filed by the Telegram app challenging the decision to restrict its access prior to the NEET-UG retest.
The judge asked both parties to submit written submissions by 7 pm.
During the course of the hearing, the Centre justified the move, arguing that the messaging app offers bot infrastructure that could be used to disseminate information in bulk.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, stated that a single Telegram account can create up to 40 bots.
"Bots are machines; they can further multiply. As per the report, Telegram can offer bot infrastructure which can disseminate information in bulk. This feature is unique as it permits creation of sophisticated networks with minimal human oversight," the law officer said.
Justifying the decision, he said the government does not have this problem with other intermediaries.
"This platform operates through the cloud. Even if they block it and someone does mischief, law enforcement agencies cannot reach the actual user," he said.
He also mentioned that the report indicated that Telegram is frequently used for terrorist activities and that law enforcement agencies face challenges due to this architectural design in various jurisdictions.
The Telegram app was represented by senior advocate Dhruv Mehta.
The high court had on Wednesday asked the Centre to file its reply on Telegram's plea against its order temporarily restricting access to the messaging app.
The government has imposed temporary restrictions on Telegram until June 22, ahead of the NEET UG retest scheduled for June 21.
A retest was announced by the National Testing Agency (NTA) after it had cancelled the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET-UG, held on May 3 for medical admissions amid allegations of paper leak.
The matter is currently under investigation by the CBI.
(With inputs from PTI)
