- Telegram CEO accuses Reliance of blocking access, benefiting WhatsApp.
- Temporary ban on Telegram in India to stop paper leaks.
- CEO calls ban wrong, challenges order in High Court.
Telegram Ban: Pavel Durov, CEO of messaging platform Telegram, which is facing a temporary ban in India, has made serious allegations against Reliance. He wrote on X that Indian telecom company Reliance is blocking access to Telegram for millions of users even outside India. This is being done deliberately to benefit WhatsApp. He has even said that Reliance and WhatsApp may also be behind the ban on Telegram in India. Let us understand this whole matter.
Durov is angry with the ban on Telegram
The Indian government had recently banned Telegram till June 22. This order has been issued to stop the use of this platform in incidents of paper leaks. Terming this decision as wrong, Durov said that this will not stop the incidents of leaks. In another post he has targeted Reliance. In the latest development, Telegram has approached the Delhi High Court challenging the government order.
What did Durov say about Reliance?
Durov wrote in his post that Reliance is blocking access to Telegram for people outside India including UAE by using a method called BGP hijacking. This is being done deliberately and Reliance has not even responded to the complaints related to this. According to Durov, this is part of the competition war because WhatsApp’s parent company Meta has a stake in Reliance. Telegram founder has appealed to network operators to reject the unauthorized BGP announcement coming from Reliance so that route hijacking can be stopped and stable internet access can be ensured for the users. Durov said that Reliance and WhatsApp may also be involved in the attempt to ban Telegram in India. Till now there has been no response from Reliance in this matter.
Why is Telegram banned?
National Testing Agency (NTA) says that fraud networks are using Telegram groups to target candidates preparing for NEET (UG) 2026 Re-Exam. The government has said that this decision has been taken under the IT Act so that people involved in paper leak incidents are not able to use this platform. Reacting to this order, Durov had said that the government is punishing more than 15 crore users of Telegram instead of the people responsible for the paper leak.
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