India has temporarily blocked access to the messaging app Telegram in an effort to prevent cheating in a state-run medical entrance examination. The National Testing Agency (NTA) announced that the ban will remain in effect until June 22, one day after the rescheduled National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Undergraduate (NEET-UG), set for June 21, 2026. Additionally, a separate restriction on a Telegram feature that allows channel administrators to edit messages while keeping the original timestamps will continue until June 30.
The ban follows the cancellation of last month’s NEET-UG results, which were nullified after reports surfaced that exam papers had been leaked on various messaging platforms, including Telegram. Over 2.2 million candidates nationwide had participated in the medical entrance exam, which is a key qualification for undergraduate medical studies in India.
The NTA justified the measures as necessary to maintain public order, stating that “organised cheating rackets” exploited the Telegram platform to defraud candidates appearing in the upcoming re-examination. The agency emphasized that the intervention aims to protect the integrity of the examination process and the interests of genuine students.
The exam cancellation and subsequent ban have triggered significant backlash among students. Many protestors, including members of the activist group Cockroach Janta Party, which gained widespread attention online last month, have called for the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The group has also threatened to launch nationwide demonstrations in response to what they view as mishandling of the exam security.
Minister Pradhan defended the government’s response, stating that concerns over the exam paper leaks were addressed with “utmost seriousness and sensitivity” and that the actions taken were “solely in the interest of safeguarding the aspirations of honest and hardworking students.”
A government official indicated that Internet service providers (ISPs) have been instructed to block access to Telegram, citing concerns that the app has been “mischievously” using proxy servers to bypass restrictions. The official noted that restrictions on ISPs represent the most feasible method to enforce the ban effectively.
Telegram, which claims over one billion users globally and counts India as its largest market with more than 150 million users, has not officially responded to requests for comment on the ban. However, its founder Pavel Durov criticized the Indian authorities on the social media platform X, arguing that the government’s actions punish ordinary users rather than the individuals responsible for leaking exam materials.
The Internet Freedom Foundation, an advocacy group, called the ban a “band-aid solution” and described it as a disproportionate response to exam fraud. India's Ministry of Information and Technology, which ordered the restriction, did not provide comments on the issue.