Guwahati, July 5 -- The Indian government has issued a formal notice to messaging platform Telegram over the widespread circulation of pirated films and OTT content on its service, escalating pressure on the platform to strengthen its anti-piracy mechanisms.

According to the directive, authorities have asked Telegram to go beyond isolated takedowns of individual channels and instead adopt broader, system-level measures to prevent the illegal distribution of copyrighted audio-visual content. The Centre has also sought a detailed Action Taken Report from the platform within 15 days, outlining steps taken to curb piracy.

Officials have raised concerns that large volumes of films and web series are being illegally shared through Telegram ch...