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Relevance: GS-II Government Policies · GS-III Cyber Security & Internal Security Source: Delhi HC affidavit, June 2026

1 · What happened

After India temporarily blocked Telegram (to protect the NEET re-exam on 21 June), the company took the government to the Delhi High Court. Defending the ban, the Centre filed an affidavit (a sworn written statement) calling Telegram the “new dark web” — a haven for criminals, fraudsters, terror groups and paper-leak gangs.

The government’s lawyer, Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, said the firm ignored repeated requests to clean up illegal channels. Telegram replied that the government should block specific content, not the whole app used by 150 million Indians. The Court raised the same worry — why punish 150 million people for the acts of a few — and then reserved its judgment (will decide later).

2 · Why call it the “new dark web”?

Basics: the “deep web” is any online content not shown by normal search engines. The “dark web” is a hidden corner of it, reachable only with special tools, often used to hide crime. The Centre’s claim is that Telegram now does the same job — letting criminals act in the open yet stay untraceable.

The charge
Anonymity as a weapon
Users can hide phone numbers and run bots and fake accounts — so paper leaks, scams, child-abuse material and terror propaganda spread while culprits stay hidden.
How money moves
Mule accounts & dark links
Channels trade “mule” bank accounts (rented accounts used to launder stolen money) and post links to dark-web forums. Blocked channels are instantly replaced by new ones.
The watchdog
I4C steps in
The Centre’s case leans on the I4C (Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre), India’s nodal cyber-crime body, which flagged Telegram’s “structural” weaknesses.
The balancing act
Rights vs security
The Court must weigh national security against the rights of crores of honest users — the heart of the “whole-app ban vs targeted block” debate.

3 · The scale of the Problem

As per the government’s affidavit, cyber-crime complaints linked to Telegram on the NCRP jumped from about 75,688 in 2023 to roughly 2.75 lakh in 2025, with the linked fraud reportedly crossing ₹3,000 crore. The government argued that when illegal content becomes this “rampant,” it is technically impossible to separate the unlawful from the lawful — so it blocked the whole platform. Critics counter that this is a blunt tool that hits millions of innocent users.

UPSC Value Box
I4C Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre; under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), set up 2018; national nodal body for cybercrime.
NCRP National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in); where citizens report cyber fraud.
Helpline 1930 Toll-free number to immediately report financial cyber fraud and freeze the money trail.
Section 69A, IT Act Power to block online content for sovereignty, defence, security, friendly foreign relations, or public order.
IT Blocking Rules, 2009 Lay down the procedure for 69A blocking — written reasons and confidentiality.
Mule account A bank account rented or sold to criminals to move and launder stolen money.
Deep web / dark web Deep web = content not indexed by search engines; dark web = a hidden part of it, often misused for crime.

MCQ Practice Question
Q. With reference to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), consider the following statements:

  1. It is the national nodal agency for tackling cybercrime in a coordinated manner.
  2. It operates the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) and the cyber-fraud helpline 1930.
  3. It functions under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only    (b) 2 and 3 only    (c) 1 and 3 only    (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only

  • Statement 1 — Correct: I4C is the national nodal agency for coordinated action against cybercrime.
  • Statement 2 — Correct: I4C runs the NCRP portal and the 1930 financial-fraud helpline.
  • Statement 3 — Incorrect (the trap): I4C works under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), not MeitY. (It is MeitY that issues blocking orders under Section 69A — a common mix-up.)
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