Telegram challenges temporary restrictions in India over medical entrance exam

NEW DELHI — Social media platform Telegram has approached a court in India challenging government directions restricting the platform ahead of a crucial medical college entrance test scheduled for June 21.The matter was mentioned before a bench of the Delhi High Court on Wednesday, which agreed to hear it on an urgent basis, Press Trust of India reported.India’s National Testing Agency said on Tuesday that the restriction had been imposed for a “defined and limited period ending June 22.”The entrance examination for undergraduate medical programs is being held after a similar test conducted on May 3 was scrapped last month following a paper leak. The re-examination is being conducted for nearly 2.3 million registered candidates.The move has drawn criticism from Telegram founder Pavel Durov.“India’s IT ministry banned Telegram for one week because some users shared leaked exam questions. This punishes 150M+ ordinary Telegram users in India, not the insiders who leaked the exam materials,” Durov wrote on the social media platform X.“And the ban hasn’t stopped anything. The leaks just moved to other apps,” he added.NEW DELHI — Social media platform Telegram has approached a court in India challenging government directions restricting the platform ahead of a crucial medical college entrance test scheduled for June 21.The matter was mentioned before a bench of the Delhi High Court on Wednesday, which agreed to hear it on an urgent basis, Press Trust of India reported.India’s National Testing Agency said on Tuesday that the restriction had been imposed for a “defined and limited period ending June 22.”The entrance examination for undergraduate medical programs is being held after a similar test conducted on May 3 was scrapped last month following a paper leak. The re-examination is being conducted for nearly 2.3 million registered candidates.The move has drawn criticism from Telegram founder Pavel Durov.“India’s IT ministry banned Telegram for one week because some users shared leaked exam questions. This punishes 150M+ ordinary Telegram users in India, not the insiders who leaked the exam materials,” Durov wrote on the social media platform X.“And the ban hasn’t stopped anything. The leaks just moved to other apps,” he added.