Will Telegram be banned in India? Govt cites concerns for unlawful content
The Indian government is actively monitoring groups and channels on the Telegram app to track such activities.
- Jun 24, 2026,
- Updated Jun 24, 2026 10:38 AM IST
Telegram is reportedly being used for illegal activities, particularly for sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and conducting financial scams. According to a Reuters report, the Indian government is actively monitoring groups and channels on the Telegram app to track such activities.
The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre is said to have prepared a 35-page report on findings and has been submitted to a court as part of the government's defence of a temporary one-week ban on Telegram due to allegations over the NEET question paper leak.
The report quoted, “Cyber criminals use Telegram to access closed groups/channels ... (India) is proactively monitoring such Telegram groups and channels.”
Must read: BT Explainer: Why Telegram, not WhatsApp, became NEET crackdown target
Recently, Telegram was accused of failing to prevent misinformation on its platform, resulting in a week-long ban until June 22. However, the platform denied these claims. In addition, the government also disabled its message editing feature until June 30 to prevent users from altering previously sent messages.
It was highlighted that the Indian government is concerned about Telegram's privacy-focused features that can make it harder for law enforcement agencies to identify and track users involved in illegal activities. Features like usernames make it difficult to determine an account's real identity, since they are not linked to a phone number.
The government report dated June 10 is said to consist of several screenshots from Telegram groups highlighting fake job advertisements, child sexual abuse or exploitation, and a pirated copy of the Bollywood film Dhurandhar, indicating copyright infringement.
Must read: Telegram returns to Google Play Store in India, restoring access for Android users
Authorities also claimed to have received more than 688,000 complaints since 2023 involving Telegram as a medium for cyber fraud, and that the alleged scams caused losses of approximately $750 million.
This highlighted that the Indian government is not fully convinced that Telegram's existing safeguards could prevent the spread of illegal content and cyber fraud. As of now, authorities are continuing to monitor the platform, and failure to meet regulatory expectations could bring tougher measures, including the risk of a ban in the country.
For Unparalleled coverage of India's Businesses and Economy – Subscribe to Business Today Magazine
Telegram is reportedly being used for illegal activities, particularly for sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and conducting financial scams. According to a Reuters report, the Indian government is actively monitoring groups and channels on the Telegram app to track such activities.
The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre is said to have prepared a 35-page report on findings and has been submitted to a court as part of the government's defence of a temporary one-week ban on Telegram due to allegations over the NEET question paper leak.
The report quoted, “Cyber criminals use Telegram to access closed groups/channels ... (India) is proactively monitoring such Telegram groups and channels.”
Must read: BT Explainer: Why Telegram, not WhatsApp, became NEET crackdown target
Recently, Telegram was accused of failing to prevent misinformation on its platform, resulting in a week-long ban until June 22. However, the platform denied these claims. In addition, the government also disabled its message editing feature until June 30 to prevent users from altering previously sent messages.
It was highlighted that the Indian government is concerned about Telegram's privacy-focused features that can make it harder for law enforcement agencies to identify and track users involved in illegal activities. Features like usernames make it difficult to determine an account's real identity, since they are not linked to a phone number.
The government report dated June 10 is said to consist of several screenshots from Telegram groups highlighting fake job advertisements, child sexual abuse or exploitation, and a pirated copy of the Bollywood film Dhurandhar, indicating copyright infringement.
Must read: Telegram returns to Google Play Store in India, restoring access for Android users
Authorities also claimed to have received more than 688,000 complaints since 2023 involving Telegram as a medium for cyber fraud, and that the alleged scams caused losses of approximately $750 million.
This highlighted that the Indian government is not fully convinced that Telegram's existing safeguards could prevent the spread of illegal content and cyber fraud. As of now, authorities are continuing to monitor the platform, and failure to meet regulatory expectations could bring tougher measures, including the risk of a ban in the country.
For Unparalleled coverage of India's Businesses and Economy – Subscribe to Business Today Magazine