&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Telegram banned in India? NTA clarifies restrictions on messenger app ahead of NEET 2026 re-exam")
Days before the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination on June 21, India has temporarily banned the Telegram messenger app. Welcoming the government's decision, the National Testing Agency (NTA) accused the messaging platform of being used by cheating networks to spread misinformation and fabricate claims of paper leaks.
Telegram to be permanently banned in India?
No, Telegram Messenger won't be permanently banned in India. In a statement issued on Tuesday (Jun 16), the NTA said authorities had imposed two temporary restrictions on Telegram in India following recommendations made by the agency.
Also read | From compensation to age relaxation: Cockroach Janata Party reveals 5 new demands at Pune protest | Details
The first measure restricts access to Telegram in India until June 22, covering the day of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination and its immediate aftermath. The second requires the platform to disable its message-editing feature for already posted messages in India until June 30.
Why has GOI blocked Telegram?
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According to the NTA, the move is aimed at tackling a specific problem that has emerged in relation to national examinations. The agency alleged that some groups have exploited Telegram's editing feature to alter old messages after an exam has taken place, creating misleading "evidence" that question papers had been leaked in advance.
The agency said the restrictions were introduced in the interest of public order and to counter organised efforts by cheating rackets targeting NEET candidates.
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"The measures have been 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," the agency said.
The NTA also thanked the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for what it described as timely intervention ahead of the June 21 examination. "The directions are a measure of last resort, taken only after intermediate remedies, including the take-down action coordinated by I4C, had been pursued and had not produced, at the platform level, the response required to protect candidates in the run-up to the examination," the statement added.
