Telegram faces fresh heat in India, this time over movie piracy
Telegram has received a government notice over movie piracy in India and has been asked to submit an Action Taken Report within 15 days.
Published By: Shubham Arora | Published: Jul 04, 2026, 02:05 PM (IST)
Telegram is once again facing scrutiny from the government, this time over the circulation of pirated movies and OTT content on the platform. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has issued a notice asking the messaging platform to take stronger action against piracy instead of removing content only after it is reported. According to officials familiar with the matter, Telegram has also been asked to submit an Action Taken Report within 15 days explaining the steps it plans to take.
The move signals a change in the government's approach. Rather than focusing only on individual channels or posts carrying pirated content, authorities now want platforms to take responsibility for preventing repeated violations across their services.
Government wants platform-level action
According to officials, the notice asks Telegram to identify and act against repeat offenders, including channels, groups, bots, user accounts, administrators, and other entities involved in sharing copyrighted content. The ministry has reportedly made it clear that simply waiting for complaints or government requests before removing content may no longer be enough.
The government has also sought details of Telegram's grievance redressal system for film producers, OTT platforms, and law enforcement agencies. Officials want to know how copyright-related complaints are received, handled, and resolved by the platform.
The notice also reminds Telegram that copyright infringement is not limited to civil disputes. In certain cases, they can also lead to criminal action under the Copyright Act, 1957, and the Cinematograph Act, 1952. Authorities have further warned that an incomplete response or continued availability of pirated material could invite additional action under the existing legal framework.
Earlier action against piracy and other issues
The latest notice comes after the government had already taken action against more than 3,000 Telegram channels that were allegedly distributing pirated content. Officials now appear to be looking beyond individual takedowns and are instead pushing for stronger moderation measures across the platform.
This is also the second notice sent to Telegram within a week. Earlier, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had issued notices to Telegram, WhatsApp, and Signal regarding their Username features.
Telegram had also faced restrictions in India last month. Between June 16 and June 22, access to the platform was temporarily restricted following concerns that leaked examination papers related to the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination were being circulated through the app. Around the same time, the government also directed Telegram to disable its message-editing feature until June 30 on the recommendation of the National Testing Agency (NTA), which was overseeing the examination process.
Focus on protecting creators
Officials say the latest action is aimed at protecting India's film industry, broadcasters, OTT services, producers, and other copyright holders who continue to report piracy-related losses. Instead of relying only on repeated complaints from content owners, the government wants platforms to introduce systems that can detect and curb such activity more effectively.
The action also highlights the increasing focus on intermediary responsibilities under the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. According to officials, platforms are expected to demonstrate due diligence in dealing with illegal content, particularly when repeated violations continue to surface.
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