The restriction, active from June 16 to June 22, forced telecom providers and tech giants like Google and Apple to pull the service from app stores. While the government argued that Telegram’s specific features—such as channel recreation and user anonymity—created persistent enforcement hurdles, digital rights advocates warn the move establishes a dangerous precedent for internet freedom in India. The Internet Freedom Foundation noted the ruling expands government power to curb messaging platforms at will, a stance echoed by Telegram founder Pavel Durov, who criticized the measure as a collective punishment that fails to address the underlying leaks.
This legal clash follows weeks of private friction between the administration and the platform. Government officials accused Telegram of failing to proactively remove accounts distributing illicit exam materials, though the company countered in court that it had already scrubbed over 900 links tied to the controversy. With India serving as its largest market, boasting over 150 million users, the fallout from this high-profile confrontation highlights a growing tension between global tech firms and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government regarding the regulation of digital content.
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