3 min readNew DelhiMar 12, 2026 05:00 AM IST
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has directed intermediary platform Telegram to remove and disable access to as many as 3,142 URL links, after it found that certain channels were violating the Copyright Act, 1957, by streaming content owned by or licensed to certain content owners, OTT platforms and producers without authorisation.
In a notification addressed to Telegram, the Ministry said it has found that such unlawful content has been hosted, shared, and distributed on the platform.
Citing existing legal provisions governing online content, it said the intermediary Telegram is notified to remove and disable access to the concerned Telegram channels, including all of their content, “within three hours of the issue of this communication without vitiating the evidence in any manner.”
Confirming the development, sources in the government said the I&B Ministry has issued a notice to Telegram under the Information Technology Act, 2000, asking it to remove pirated content from its platform.
“The action follows complaints received from OTT platforms including JioCinema, Amazon Prime Video and others, alleging large-scale piracy of copyrighted content on Telegram,” a source said. The content is related to around 1,166 titles.
The sources added that based on complaints and examination of the matter, 3,142 Telegram channels were identified for distributing pirated content, including films and OTT content.
While the Information Technology Act has provisions to protect all intermediaries, from liability for any third party information, data, or communication link published, hosted or transmitted by them, it doesn’t hold if they fail to remove or disable access to any unlawful content after being notified about it through a court order or notification by the government or its agency.
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The official notification cites section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 and Rule 7 of the IT Rules, 2021, which deals with hosting and publishing of unlawful content by an intermediary and the punishment that it is liable for, in such an instance.
The Ministry has also designated one of the joint secretaries as a Nodal Officer for the purpose of notifying the intermediaries in respect to unlawful information as per section 79(3)X(b) of the IT Act, 2000, read with rule 3(1)(d) and Part-III of the IT Rules. 2021.
The unlawful content hosted could range from television soaps to web series, movies and reality shows, among others.
