India has imposed a Telegram ban until June 22. The government said the messaging app was used to defraud candidates before the NEET 2026 medical entrance re-exam.
The Ministry of Education said Tuesday that access to Telegram would be restricted for a defined and limited period. The order was issued under India’s IT law, which allows online blocking in the interest of sovereignty and integrity.
The National Testing Agency said the action followed the “organised use” of Telegram by cheating rackets. These groups targeted candidates for the NEET 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21.
The government cancelled the earlier undergraduate medical entrance exam last month after authorities found that questions had been leaked before the test. As a result, the leaks triggered student protests in several parts of India.
The Ministry of Education said it regretted the inconvenience caused by the temporary block. It called the restriction a “last resort” after earlier efforts to remove such content from the platform failed.
Read: UK Announces Social Media Ban For Kids Under 16
Telegram did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The app was still working in India until at least 0630 GMT on Tuesday.
Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea did not immediately comment on whether they had received or implemented the blocking directive. In addition, Google and Apple also did not immediately respond to whether they had been asked to restrict the app in India.
