Telegram banned in India ahead of NEET 2026 re-exam: Here's why

Telegram ban India: In a shocking move, Telegram has been banned in India ahead of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination, which is scheduled for June 21. This comes after several recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA), which cited concerns over fake paper leak claims, cheating networks and misinformation that has been circulated through the messaging platform.  Also Read: Telegram brings self-running chats with bot-to-bot communication

However, the ban on Telegram in India is not permanent, instead, the restriction will remain until June 22. Not just that, another order requires Telegram to disable its message-editing feature in India until June 30. Also Read: How to hide your phone number on Telegram

But why has Telegram just been blocked?

According to the NTA, authorities have been tracking several Telegram channels that allegedly claimed to offer access to NEET question papers in exchange for money. Some of these channels reportedly operated under names such as “PAPER LEAKED NEET”, “Re-NEET 2026”, and “Private Mafia”. The agency said these groups were asking candidates and their families to pay amounts ranging from a few thousand rupees to several lakh rupees for alleged access to examination papers.

However, the NTA has maintained that no such paper exists outside the secured examination process. “The promise of any such material is, in every instance, a fraud,” the agency said while urging students and parents to ignore unverified claims circulating online.

Due to the same reason, the restriction on Telegram has been imposed under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. In its statement, the NTA confirmed that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued directions to restrict access to Telegram for a limited period covering the NEET re-examination and the days immediately after it.

Why is Telegram’s edit feature also being disabled?

Apart from the temporary platform ban, Telegram has also been directed to disable its message-editing feature in India until June 30. The NTA claims that the feature has been misused in recent examination-related incidents. 

According to the agency, channel administrators could post harmless messages before an exam and later edit those posts to attach actual question papers after the exam had ended. Since the original timestamp remained unchanged, screenshots were then circulated as alleged proof of a paper leak.

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Referring to the government’s action, the NTA said, “The MeitY direction closes this avenue of fabrication for the post-examination window in which such artefacts have historically been deployed.”