Govt blocks Telegram app till June 22 for NEET-UG re-test

• The government blocked access to the Telegram messaging app till June 22 ahead of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination.

• The move was 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 June 21.

• National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Abhishek Singh said the restriction on Telegram is part of efforts to ensure that the June 21 re-test is conducted without malpractice.

• The NTA had cancelled the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (UG) 2026 exam held on May 3, following the alleged paper leaks.

• National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (UG) is conducted for admission to undergraduate medical education in all medical institutions.

• The examination was organised by the NTA for nearly 23 lakh registered candidates at centres across the country.

• Following the cancellation of the exam, protests erupted in various parts of India. 

Why the Telegram app was blocked?

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), acting on the NTA’s recommendations, has issued a direction under section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, restricting access to the Telegram platform in India till June 22.

• A separate direction requires Telegram to disable the message-editing feature for already-posted messages till June 30.

• It aims to address the specific structural feature through which the platform has been used to fabricate after-the-event “paper leak” evidence in respect of national examinations.

• NTA said both 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.

• Explaining the decision to disable the message-editing feature, the NTA said the feature, in its present form, permits channel administrators to edit previously-posted messages, including the substitution of attached files, such as PDFs, while the original send-time stamp is retained.

• This capability has been used, in respect of multiple recent examinations, to fabricate after-the-event 'paper leak' artefacts, it said.

• Administrators could edit old messages after an examination to insert the actual question paper and later, circulate screenshots as purported proof that the paper was available beforehand.

• The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has served as the principal nodal agency coordinating the operational response to the Telegram-based fraud and misinformation targeting NEET candidates.

Key points on Telegram app:

• Telegram is one of the top five most downloaded apps in the world.

• It is a cloud-based messenger app.

• It was founded in 2013 by Russian brothers Pavel Durov and Nikolai Durov.

• With Telegram, users can send messages, photos, videos and files of any type (doc, zip, mp3, etc), as well as create groups for up to 200,000 people or channels for broadcasting to unlimited audiences. 

• Telegram for iOS was launched on August 14, 2013. The alpha version of Telegram for Android officially launched on October 20, 2013.