Telegram CEO calls India's app ban a ‘mistake’

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New Delhi: Pavel Durov has criticised India's temporary ban on Telegram, calling it a ‘mistake’ that unfairly punishes more than 150 million users while fails to prevent those who leaked examination papers.

The Indian government implemented the week-long ban after charging that Telegram channels were being used to distribute leaked question papers and scam people ahead of the re-examination for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG). Authorities stated that the step was designed to defend the integrity of the highly competitive medical entrance exam.

In a series of posts, Durov claimed that the ban had "not stopped anything" since those involved in the leaks had just moved to other messaging services. He stated that Telegram had already removed hundreds of channels associated with leaked exam materials and related scams in India, as well as implemented additional safeguards such as making the "edited" label more visible to prevent message backdating.

Telegram challenged the government's decision in the Delhi High Court, claiming that the temporary ban breaches users' constitutional rights to free speech and information. The lawsuit arises amid rising tensions between the Indian government and global technology platforms over online content regulation and platform accountability.