India Blocks Telegram Till June 22 Ahead Of NEET Re-Examination, NTA Says ‘Inconvenience Regretted’ | India News
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The government has also directed Telegram to disable its message-editing feature in India until June 30.
The action was taken in response to the organised use of Telegram by cheating rackets. (Source: Reuters/PTI)
In a major step aimed at preventing any attempt to leak or manipulate examination material, the Centre has blocked the instant messaging platform Telegram in India until June 22 ahead of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination.
The move follows recommendations by the National Testing Agency (NTA), which said the restriction is limited to the examination period and its immediate aftermath. Responding to the blocking of the app, NTA said that it regrets the inconvenience caused to lakhs of citizens who use the platform.
Telegram’s Message-Editing Feature Disabled Till June 30
The government has also directed Telegram to disable its message-editing feature in India until June 30. According to the NTA, the feature has been misused in the past to fabricate “paper leak” evidence by allowing administrators to edit previously posted messages and replace attached files while retaining the original timestamp.
Also Read: With Re-NEET In Few Days, NTA Says Over 10 Lakh Admit Cards Downloaded Within 24 Hours
“The feature… permits a channel administrator to edit the content of a previously posted message—including the substitution of attached files such as PDFs—while the original send-time stamp is retained. This capability has been used… to fabricate after-the-event ‘paper leak’ artefacts,” it stated.
Telegram Used In Cheating Rackets
The agency said the action was taken in response to the organised use of Telegram by cheating rackets targeting candidates appearing for the NEET re-examination scheduled on June 21.
“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,” said the NTA.
It added that authorities had already removed numerous channels, groups and bots allegedly promoting fraudulent claims of access to the question paper, but platform-level intervention became necessary after intermediate measures proved insufficient.
Also Read: Will Re-NEET 2026 Be Deferred? Why Aspirants Are Seeking Postponement
The NTA alleged that several Telegram channels, operating under names such as “PAPER LEAKED NEET”, “Re-NEET 2026″ and “Private Mafia”, were attempting to dupe aspirants by claiming they could provide access to the NEET question paper.
According to the agency, these channels sought payments ranging from a few thousand rupees to several lakh rupees from candidates and their families in exchange for the purported examination material.
While acknowledging that the temporary restriction would inconvenience lakhs of legitimate users, the NTA said the measure was intended solely to safeguard the integrity of one of the country’s most important entrance examinations.
“NTA acknowledges that the access restriction issued by MeitY affects lakhs of citizens who use the Telegram platform for legitimate personal, educational, professional and informational purposes, and sincerely regrets the inconvenience caused to them,” it said.
Telegram has been under scrutiny amid the NEET UG 2026 paper leak controversy, with several channels allegedly claiming to provide access to the examination paper or other confidential material in exchange for money, prompting investigations by authorities.
The NEET UG 2026 re-examination is scheduled to be held on June 21 after the earlier test was scrapped following allegations of a question paper leak.
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