New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on a petition filed by messaging platform Telegram challenging the Centre’s decision to temporarily restrict access to the application ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination scheduled for June 21.
A vacation bench headed by Justice Tejas Karia reserved the order after hearing detailed arguments from both sides. Senior advocate Dhruv Mehta appeared on behalf of Telegram, while Attorney General R. Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta represented the Central Government.
During the proceedings, the court directed both parties to submit their written submissions by 7 pm before concluding the hearing.
The petition challenges the Centre’s move to impose temporary restrictions on the messaging platform in view of concerns surrounding the conduct of the upcoming NEET-UG re-examination.
The matter assumes significance as the government has cited examination security and prevention of malpractice as key reasons behind the restrictions, while Telegram has questioned the legality and proportionality of the measure.
The court’s decision is expected to determine whether the temporary restrictions on the messaging application will remain in place during the examination period.