India Blocks Telegram Ahead Of Major Exam Retest

Telegram Blocked Until June 22

India has temporarily restricted access to Telegram until June 22, citing the platform's alleged use by organised cheating networks targeting candidates ahead of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination. The Union government restricted access to the messaging app to prevent cheating rackets from defrauding candidates ahead of the re-examination on June 21.

The directions were issued under Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000, based on recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA). The NTA described the restriction as a calibrated response to protect exam integrity, with support from MeitY and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre.

The NEET re-exam is scheduled to take place on June 21 after a paper leak in May impacted over 23 lakh students. Authorities are under pressure to ensure the integrity of the rescheduled test, which serves as the primary medical entrance examination for students across the country.

Last Resort After Channel Takedowns Failed

The NTA described the directions as a "last resort" after intermediate remedies, including channel-level take-downs, had not produced the required platform-level response. The agency said several Telegram channels, groups and bots had been taken down after they openly advertised fraudulent and misleading claims.

A separate direction requires Telegram to disable, in India, the message-editing feature for messages already posted until June 30, 2026. The move is aimed at preventing the creation or backdating of fabricated evidence.

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has been coordinating the operational response, acting on inputs from the NTA, state police forces including those of Bihar, Gujarat and Rajasthan, and its own monitoring of public channels.

The NTA reiterated that "there is no such paper available outside the secured examination chain" and that any promise of leaked material is "in every instance, a fraud."

Sources:
Business Standard: Govt temporarily blocks Telegram ahead of NEET-UG re-exam
Business Today: NEET retest 2026 - Govt bans Telegram app until June 22