India’s government has turned up the pressure on Telegram over piracy. In March it ordered more than 3,100 channels removed within three hours; in July it asked Telegram to prove it is doing more.
What happened
On 11 March 2026 the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued a notice under the Information Technology Act, 2000, telling Telegram to remove and disable access to more than 3,100 channels sharing pirated films and series, within three hours and without altering evidence.
The July follow-up
On 4 July 2026 the ministry gave Telegram 15 days to report how it will detect, block and remove pirated content, saying a purely reactive, channel-by-channel approach may not be enough.
What it means for creators
The case is about films and series, but the lesson is the same: Telegram does remove channels when pressed with clear reports. Creators’ leak channels can be reported for copyright too, and persistence works. See Telegram leaks: how to take down channels and bots.
