The Government of India imposed a temporary ban on Telegram until June 22, 2026 on the recommendation of NTA, following allegations of widespread paper leaks and irregularities that led to the cancellation and rescheduling of the NEET UG exam.
Telegram channel administrators can edit any previously posted message — including replacing attached files — while the original timestamp remains visible to subscribers. Fraudsters used this to post messages, then later edit them to insert question papers, making it appear papers were shared before the test.
Telegram fraud networks had allegedly defrauded approximately 1,500 students of roughly ₹1.5 crore (~$180,000), according to the Ahmedabad City Cyber Crime Branch, which on June 15 arrested two Rajasthan-based men for operating eight Telegram channels as part of an interstate scheme. The Centre strongly defended the decision, with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Attorney General R Venkataramani arguing that Telegram’s unique architecture had made it a vehicle for organised cheating networks and that the government’s preventive action was fully justified. However, Telegram argued the restriction was disproportionate, lacked adequate justification, and unfairly affected more than 150 million users in India.
The Kota coaching hub — India’s NEET capital — was hit hardest by the ban, as lakhs of students depended on Telegram for study material, while Rajasthan cyber crime authorities had already warned as early as 2025 that fraudsters were using Telegram to dupe students by claiming the NEET paper had been leaked and could be obtained for a fee.
