&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'Ban hasn't stopped anything': Telegram CEO criticises restriction over NEET paper leak concerns")
Telegram founder and chief executive Pavel Durov has criticised the government's temporary restriction on the messaging platform ahead of the NEET UG 2026 re-examination, saying the move affects ordinary users rather than those responsible for leaking examination material.
In a post on X, Durov said the action impacts millions of users across India without addressing the source of the problem.
“India’s IT ministry banned Telegram for one week because some users shared leaked exam questions. This punishes 150M+ ordinary Telegram users in India, not the insiders who leaked the exam materials,” he said.
Durov also questioned the effectiveness of the restriction, arguing that it had failed to stop the circulation of leaked content.
“And the ban hasn't stopped anything. The leaks just moved to other apps.”
The criticism came as the National Testing Agency intensified efforts to tackle fraud ahead of the NEET UG re-examination scheduled for June 21.
NTA Director General Abhishek Singh said the agency had identified a large scam network operating through Telegram channels that targeted students with false promises of access to examination papers.
According to the agency, some channels were demanding amounts ranging from ₹14,000 to ₹25,000 and, in some cases, as much as ₹10 lakh while claiming they could provide the re-examination paper.
“There is no leaked paper for the re-exam. The money is gone the moment you transfer it. Your admit card and WhatsApp number, if you sent them, become the tools they use to scam the next student.”
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Rights group questions legality of Telegram restriction
The government has directed Google and Apple to remove Telegram from their app stores until June 22 as part of measures aimed at preventing paper leak claims during the re-examination period.
The International Freedom Foundation also criticised the temporary restriction, describing it as excessive and legally questionable.
“On the NTA's recommendation, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has, under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, restricted access to the whole of Telegram in India until 22 June 2026, and has separately ordered the platform to switch off message-editing for every Indian user until 30 June 2026.”
"This is a blunt, nationwide measure aimed at the conduct of rampant fraud rackets, and on the Government's own admission is constitutionally incompatible," it added.
The NEET UG examination is being conducted again on June 21 after the government cancelled the earlier test held on May 3 following allegations of a question paper leak.
