By Admin 
On Thursday (June 18, 2026), the Central Government made several serious allegations during the hearing in the Delhi High Court on the petition challenging the ban imposed on Telegram. The government, in its reply filed in the High Court, claimed that the platform has been used to leak and circulate alleged question papers of various examinations including NEET.
The government told the court that Telegram is now becoming the new dark web, which has become a medium to connect various cyber criminals and other threat actors.
Telegram helpful in promoting illegal activities – Center
According to the Centre, criminals share links to dark web forums through Telegram channels and try to hide their identities by using deep web links, making it difficult for investigating agencies to establish their identities. The government said that Telegram is being used in illegal activities like drug trafficking, cyber crime, extremism, terrorism, dissemination of material related to sexual exploitation of children, cyber fraud and fraud. The privacy related features of the platform are helping in promoting these activities.
The central government also alleged that violent, extremist and radical content is being spread through Telegram’s groups and channels. According to the government, elements associated with terrorist organizations are using these platforms for the purpose of spreading misinformation and destabilizing public order.
the center has CSEAM drew the court’s attention to
The government also drew the court’s attention to child sexual exploitative and abuse material (CSEAM). The Center says that Telegram is also being used to disseminate such material.
Moreover, a large number of Telegram channels are being used to share pirated movies, web series and other copyright protected content. This causes financial loss to content creators and also violates intellectual property laws.
Privacy features help in hiding identity – Center
The government said, ‘Due to Telegram’s privacy features, users can hide their identity details. Although each account is linked to a mobile number in the backend, users can hide information like phone number and Telegram ID through their privacy settings. This makes it difficult to reach the real identity.
Additionally, cyber criminals create accounts on Telegram using fake identities and use them to share information obtained from financial crimes, cyber fraud and data breaches.
NCRP What did the government say citing the figures of?
Citing data from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), the government said that there has been a significant increase in cyber crime complaints and economic losses related to misuse of Telegram. The Center also said that various hacker groups and cyber attackers are using Telegram to coordinate their operations, share data and plan cyber attacks.
According to the government, such groups are allegedly operating on Telegram channels where information related to buying and selling of ‘mule bank accounts’ used in cyber fraud and money laundering is exchanged.
Measures given to avoid monitoring of security systems – Center
The Center alleged that activities related to misusing the Indian banking system, fintech networks, UPI handles and cryptocurrency based payment systems are also being promoted through certain channels. The government told the court that some malicious Android applications (Malicious APKs) use Telegram as a command-and-control (C2) platform. Through these, data is extracted from the victims’ devices and sent to the criminals.
The Center claimed that some Telegram channels are promoting the development, distribution and sale of malware toolkits under the ‘Malware-as-a-Service’ model. The government also cited channels that were allegedly promoting services such as ‘Google Play Protect Bypass’ to enable malicious applications to evade the monitoring of security systems.
Telegram bots providing unauthorized access to sensitive data
The Center alleged that malicious applications with names similar to financial services were being shared on some channels, which could be used for cyber financial fraud. Tools and modules that circumvent security mechanisms present in banking and UPI applications are being shared on some Telegram channels.
Additionally, the Center told the court that some Telegram bots were allegedly providing unauthorized access to citizens’ personal information, such as mobile numbers, Aadhaar details and other sensitive data. According to the government, such bots use information obtained from various data leaks and security breaches, which can later be used in cyber fraud.
Also read: NEET re-exam: Rahul Gandhi cornered the government on Telegram ban, Priyanka justified it, know what he said?