New Delhi: The Central government has temporarily banned the messaging platform Telegram across India until June 22 to block examination fraud and paper leak rumors ahead of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination on June 21.
Acting on recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) blocked the app under Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000.
Additionally, MeitY ordered Telegram to disable its message-editing feature in India until June 30 to prevent scammers from creating fake digital evidence.
Cracking Down on “Timestamp Fraud”
The NTA revealed that cheating syndicates regularly exploit Telegram’s editing tool to orchestrate elaborate scams. Fraudsters edit older posts to insert leaked question papers after an exam concludes, making it appear as though they possessed the paper beforehand while retaining the original, older timestamp.
“Several channels operating under names like ‘Paper Leaked NEET’ and ‘Private Mafia’ demanded anywhere from a few thousand to several lakh rupees for fake question papers,” the NTA stated, reiterating that no actual paper leak has occurred.
A Coordinated Inter-Agency Crackdown
The ban follows a massive intelligence-led operation. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs, coordinated with state police forces to wipe out hundreds of Telegram channels, groups, and automated bots openly selling fraudulent services.
State law enforcement has already made significant breakthroughs:
- Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch: Arrested members of an inter-state cyber fraud network running examination scam channels.
- Bihar Police Economic Offences Unit: Issued a public advisory warning students against digital scammers.
- CBI & State Police: Actively pursuing related fraud syndicates across multiple states.
NTA Issues Apology, Assures Smooth Exam
The NTA acknowledged the heavy reliance of millions of Indians on Telegram for daily educational and professional communication.
“We regret the inconvenience caused to genuine users,” the NTA said in a statement. “However, this calibrated, temporary restriction is vital to safeguard the integrity of one of India’s most important national examinations.”
The agency confirmed that the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination will proceed exactly as scheduled on June 21. Authorities urged students to rely strictly on official NTA updates and report suspicious activity to the National Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930.
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