The messaging app Telegram has been officially banned in India until June 22, 2026, following suggestions from the National Testing Agency (NTA) regarding paper leaks and cheating schemes. Invoking Section 69A of the IT Act, the government has also disabled the message-editing feature.
The messaging software Telegram was officially banned in India on Tuesday. The National Testing Agency (NTA) made direct suggestions regarding paper leaks and cheating schemes, which led to the interim suspension. In anticipation of the impending NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination, the app is still blocked nationwide till June 22.
Invoking emergency provisions under Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has directed the platform to comply with strict restrictions within a specified tenure as per the official statement from NTA.
The NTA said the measures were aimed at preventing organised cheating networks from exploiting the platform to spread false claims of question paper leaks and to defraud students appearing for the medical entrance examination.
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What Did The Official Statement Say?
"Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued notification a direction under Section 69 A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, restricting access to the Telegram platform in India for a defined and limited period ending 22 June 2026, covering the day of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination and its immediate aftermath. A direction requiring the platform to disable, in India, the message-editing feature in respect of messages already posted, for a defined period ending 30 June 2026, addressing the specific structural feature through which the platform has been used to fabricate after-the-event “paper leak” evidence in respect of national examinations," the statement read.
Which Telegram Feature Is Under Scrutiny?
After investigations, the agency claimed that Telegram's message-editing feature had been exploited to fabricate false "paper leak" evidence. After an exam was over, channel admins may alter previous postings and substitute attachments with question papers while keeping the original timestamp, according to NTA. These modified posts were subsequently shared as evidence that test papers had been pre-leaked.
Officials said disabling the feature temporarily would help prevent the creation and spread of such fabricated evidence during the post-examination period.
NEET UG 2026 Re-Test
The NTA stressed that the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination will be conducted as scheduled on June 21 and assured students that the security and integrity of the examination remain intact.
Candidates have been advised to rely only on official NTA communications and the agency's website for examination-related updates and to report any fraudulent approaches to cybercrime authorities immediately.
