Centre gives notice to Telegram over pirated content, warns of legal action

In a major regulatory escalation, the Government of India has issued a formal notice to messaging platform Telegram, demanding swift action against the widespread distribution of pirated movies, web series, and Over-The-Top (OTT) streaming content.

Issued on July 4, 2026, by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), the notice warns of severe legal action if the platform fails to overhaul its digital safety filters and submit a detailed report within a strict 15-day deadline.

1. Shifting to “Platform Accountability”

Government officials emphasized that this move represents a permanent pivot in how India handles online copyright infringement.

Historically, the government has acted in a piecemeal fashion—previously shutting down more than 3,000 individual Telegram piracy channels. However, the I&B Ministry has made it clear that a purely reactive, channel-by-channel approach is no longer acceptable. The onus is now squarely on Telegram to build proactive systems that detect, report, and block access to infringing media.

The Government’s Directive: “Telegram cannot merely wait for the government to identify each piracy channel one by one. A purely reactive, channel-by-channel takedown approach may not be enough to demonstrate due diligence by the platform, as required under the IT Act, 2000, and the IT Rules, 2021.”

2. Strict Demands in the 15-Day Notice

The Centre has provided Telegram with a comprehensive list of actionable directives to safeguard India’s creator economy, broadcasters, and film distributors:

• Targeting Repeat Offenders: The platform must go beyond dropping individual channels and aggressively ban repeat-infringing groups, bots, user accounts, administrators, and any associated network entities.
• System Overhaul: Telegram is required to significantly strengthen its underlying systems for the automatic detection, disabling, and deletion of copyrighted audio-visual material.
• Grievance Redressal: The platform must share transparent, dedicated grievance redressal pathways specifically built for producers, OTT platforms, and law enforcement agencies to flag violations instantly.
• The Action Taken Report (ATR): Telegram has exactly 15 days to turn over a comprehensive ATR detailing the architectural and administrative steps it is adopting to comply.

3. The Threat of Criminal Prosecution

The Ministry explicitly reminded Telegram that copyright infringement in India is treated as a criminal offense under both the Copyright Act, 1957, and the Cinematograph Act, 1952.

If the company provides an evasive response, incomplete data, or continues to allow widespread piracy, it risks losing its “safe harbor” legal immunity as an intermediary under Section 79 of the IT Act. This would expose the platform and its executives to direct criminal liability and potential prosecution.

This notice adds to a turbulent period for Telegram in India. Just last month, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) imposed a temporary ban on the platform between June 16 and June 22 to prevent exam cheating rackets ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination. With the Delhi High Court recently upholding the government’s authority to enforce such blocks, Telegram faces intense pressure to fully comply with New Delhi’s digital mandates.