Centre to Telegram: curb pirated film and OTT content, report compliance in 15 days

The Centre has directed Telegram to take immediate steps against the circulation of pirated films and OTT content on its platform and submit a compliance report within 15 days, according to sources.

The notice, issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, is aimed at curbing digital piracy and shielding India’s film industry, broadcasters, OTT platforms, producers and distributors from its growing impact.

The move comes shortly after the Centre’s action against Telegram in connection with the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had temporarily blocked the messaging platform in India till 22 June as a precautionary measure ahead of the test, citing concerns over its alleged use by organised cheating rackets.

At the time, the National Testing Agency had said the restrictions were imposed in the interest of public order and to prevent fraud targeting candidates appearing for the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination on 21 June.

The government’s decision was later upheld by the Delhi High Court. In an order on Friday, Justice Tejas Karia dismissed a petition filed by Telegram FZ LLC challenging the blocking direction and held that the Centre had followed the procedure laid down under law while invoking emergency powers.

The court also found that the temporary suspension of Telegram’s services till 22 June, along with the disabling of its message-editing feature till 30 June, met the test of proportionality in the circumstances surrounding the nationwide examination.

Telegram’s app was restored on the Google Play Store in India after 22 June.

The latest directive to Telegram also comes against the backdrop of wider scrutiny of messaging platforms by the government. Earlier this week, the Centre issued a notice to Meta over WhatsApp’s proposed username feature and asked the company not to roll it out in India until consultations were completed.

WhatsApp has since told the government that the feature will be optional and said it has built in safeguards to prevent impersonation, scams and unwanted contact ahead of a wider launch later this year.

With IANS inputs