India has temporarily banned Telegram ahead of the NEET UG 2026, citing concerns that the platform could be used by organised cheating networks to target candidates. The restriction, proposed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and implemented through guidelines issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), will remain in place until June 22, 2026.
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According to the NTA, the measure is aimed at supporting the safe conduct of the NEET re-examinations scheduled for June 21, 2026 and preventing the spread of false claims regarding the exam topics. The temporary ban on Telegram in India has been imposed under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The restriction is limited to a specified period covering the day of the exam and its immediate aftermath.
In addition to restricting access to the platform, authorities have ordered Telegram to disable its message editing feature in India by June 30, 2026. The NTA said that this feature has been used in the past to create misleading claims about incidents of question leaks after the exams were conducted.
The agency noted that the interim measures were adopted after other enforcement actions were already being pursued and were intended to address concerns during the examination window with the minimum restriction deemed necessary. The NTA attributed the coordination of actions against NEET UG 2026 exam cheating networks to the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), which operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
According to the agency, I4C worked with state law enforcement agencies and MeitY to identify and remove numerous channels, groups and bots on Telegram that were openly advertising access to exam materials or related services. Authorities said several channels used names like “PAPER LEAKED NEET”, “Re-NEET 2026” and similar variations, while demanding payments from candidates and their families in exchange for alleged access to exam materials.
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The NTA reiterated that no exam subjects were available outside the secure exam process and described such offers as scams. The direction related to the ability to edit messages on Telegram faces concerns about fabricated evidence of exam leaks.
According to the NTA, Telegram administrators can edit previously posted messages while retaining the original posting timestamp. Authorities said this feature has been used in many exams to replace previous content with real topics after an exam has been completed, creating the impression that the material was shared before the test.
The temporary restriction on editing existing messages is intended to prevent the creation and dissemination of such misleading content in the post-exam period. Authorities also reported ongoing enforcement actions in various states. The Economic Crimes Unit of Bihar Police issued a public advisory on June 9, warning candidates about false claims of access to pre-exam questions circulating on Telegram and other online platforms.
Separately, the Ahmedabad City Cyber Crime Branch arrested members of an alleged transnational cyber fraud ring accused of operating multiple Telegram channels affiliated with the same scheme. Investigators reported documented transactions worth around ₹1.5 crore and targeting of nearly 1,000 mobile numbers in a month. The NTA acknowledged that the restriction affects users who rely on Telegram for educational, professional and personal communication. However, the agency stressed that the measure is temporary and focused on protecting the integrity of the NEET UG 2026 re-examinations.
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The exams will be conducted as scheduled on June 21. The agency urged candidates to ignore unverified information circulating online and rely only on official NTA communication channels for updates. Officials also encouraged students and parents to report suspicious activities through national cybercrime reporting mechanisms and remain vigilant about allegations related to exam questions circulating on any platform.
