The Indian government has banned the use of Telegram messaging app till June 22 ahead of the re-examination of the nationwide medical college entrance examination, which was canceled following the scandal involving the question paper leak.
The government said Telegram was used to “defraud candidates” appearing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) medical entrance exam.
The Education Ministry’s National Testing Agency said the move on Telegram was taken “in response to the organized use of the platform by cheating rackets to defraud candidates appearing in the re-examination of NEET 2026 scheduled for June 21, 2026”.
The government said it was “sorry for the inconvenience” caused by blocking the messaging app, a measure that would affect hundreds of thousands of people, adding that it was a “last resort” after efforts to remove such content from the platform “did not yield results”.
The government has blocked Telegram under a stringent provision of the IT law, which allows it to block access to online sites in the “interest of sovereignty and integrity of India”.
Activists have questioned this provision and argued that it is used to curb free speech in the country.
What is NEET controversy?
Students have to appear for the NEET exam to qualify to take admission in medical colleges across India. Last month, officials canceled the exam after they learned that its question paper was leaked.
The cancellation of the highly competitive NEET exam sparked outrage across the country.
Indian media reported cases of suicide among teenagers following the unrest over the NEET exam.
The paper leak led to massive protests by the newly formed satirical Cockroach Janata Party and demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Telegram has seen rapid growth in India, making the country its largest market in terms of downloads, although WhatsApp remains the dominant messaging platform.
Edited by: Rana Taha