India temporarily blocks Telegram ahead of NEET-UG re-examination

India has temporarily blocked access to the Telegram messaging platform until 22 June ahead of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2026 re-examination, with authorities saying the move was necessary to curb organised cheating networks and fraudulent claims of access to examination papers.

The restriction, imposed under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, also requires Telegram to disable its message-editing feature in India for already posted messages until 30 June. The measures were issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) following recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA), which is responsible for conducting the examination.

The NEET-UG re-examination is scheduled for 21 June after the original examination was cancelled following the discovery of a question paper leak.

Authorities cite organised fraud

In a statement released on 16 June, the NTA said the measures were taken "in the interest of public order, in response to the organised use of the platform by cheating rackets to defraud candidates appearing for the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination scheduled on 21 June 2026."

The agency said the access restriction was limited to the examination period and described it as "a measure of last resort", implemented only after intermediary measures, including coordinated takedowns of fraudulent channels, had failed to achieve sufficient cooperation at the platform level.

"NTA acknowledges that the access restriction issued by MeitY affects lakhs of citizens who use the Telegram platform for legitimate personal, educational, professional and informational purposes, and sincerely regrets the inconvenience caused to them," the agency said.

According to the NTA, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has led efforts in recent weeks to identify and remove Telegram channels, groups and bots allegedly targeting NEET candidates with fraudulent claims.

The agency said channels using names such as "PAPER LEAKED NEET", "Re-NEET 2026", "Private Mafia" and "REE NEET MAFIAA" had demanded payments ranging from a few thousand rupees to several lakh rupees in exchange for purported access to the re-examination paper.

It reiterated that no examination paper existed outside the secured examination process and said any such claims were fraudulent.

Message-editing feature targeted

Authorities said the order requiring Telegram to disable its message-editing feature addresses what they described as a structural weakness that had been exploited to fabricate evidence of paper leaks.

According to the NTA, administrators could edit older messages and replace attached files, including PDFs, while retaining the original timestamp.

"This capability has been used, in respect of multiple recent examinations, to fabricate after-the-event 'paper leak' artefacts," the agency said, adding that edited messages were later circulated as purported proof that examination papers had been leaked before tests were held.

Officials said temporarily disabling the feature until 30 June was intended to prevent similar claims during the post-examination period.

Government says platform was unresponsive

According to The Indian Express, government officials said Telegram was not taking any proactive action against channels claiming to possess the NEET question paper and had not adequately supported investigators.

NTA Director General Abhishek Singh told the newspaper that authorities were engaged in a "cat-and-mouse" effort to report channels advertising access to the examination paper.

Another government official told The Indian Express that Telegram representatives had informed authorities the company did not retain message logs that investigators had requested.

The newspaper also reported that MeitY directed Telegram to disable the message-editing feature after concluding it had been used to fabricate post-examination evidence of paper leaks.

According to Telegram's privacy policy, the company may disclose a user's IP address and phone number if presented with a valid legal order concerning criminal activity that violates its terms of service. However, Telegram says it does not retain logs for end-to-end encrypted "secret chats".

The Indian Express reported that queries sent to both Telegram and the IT Ministry did not receive a response before publication.

Telegram founder criticises ban

Telegram founder Pavel Durov criticised the decision, saying the temporary restriction unfairly affected ordinary users.

"India's IT ministry banned Telegram for one week because some users shared leaked exam questions," Durov wrote on X.

"This punishes 150M+ ordinary Telegram users in India — not the insiders who leaked the exam materials."

He added that "the ban hasn't stopped anything. The leaks just moved to other apps."

Durov said Telegram had removed hundreds of channels sharing leaked examination materials and related scams in recent weeks and was making its "edited" label more prominent to reduce backdating scams.

"Telegram is a force for good. Banning it — even temporarily — is a mistake," he wrote.

Background to the re-examination

Students across India must pass the NEET examination to gain admission to medical colleges.

Authorities cancelled the original 2026 examination after discovering that the question paper had been leaked, triggering nationwide outrage.

According to DW, the controversy prompted widespread criticism, with Indian media also reporting suicides involving teenagers following the examination scandal.

DW also reported that activists have criticised the government's use of Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, arguing the provision has previously been used to curb free speech.

The NTA said the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination will proceed as scheduled on 21 June and urged candidates to ignore unverified online claims and rely only on official examination updates.