Telegram faces temporary ban in India over exam fraud concerns

India has ordered a temporary ban on Telegram until June 22, citing concerns over exam fraud ahead of a scheduled re-test of the NEET (UG) exam. The National Testing Agency, the government regulator administering the medical college entrance exam, scheduled the re-test for June 21. In addition to the platform-wide block, the agency wants Telegram to disable its message-editing feature until June 30. The regulator issued the order under Section 69A of India’s Information Technology Act, which serves as the country’s legal mechanism for blocking online services.

According to the National Testing Agency, both measures were taken in response to the organized use of the platform by cheating rackets to defraud candidates appearing for the exam. The agency requested the restriction on message editing to prevent backdating scams, which involve altering timestamps to fabricate evidence of paper leaks after exams have taken place. The re-test itself was organized after the NEET (UG) exam was disrupted by a paper leak scandal.

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov criticized the week-long restriction, arguing that it punishes 150 million users in India rather than those responsible for the leaks. Durov questioned the effectiveness of the measure, stating that the leaks simply moved to other apps. He also alleged that the telecom operator Reliance is disrupting access to Telegram for some users outside India. Digital rights advocates also opposed the block. “Shutting down Telegram is a band aid solution and a disproportionate answer to exam fraud,” the Internet Freedom Foundation, an advocacy group, said in a statement.

Defending the decision, National Testing Agency Director General Abhishek Singh argued that even if operators continue running channels through virtual private networks, removing their clientele will prevent fraud and protect students. The regulatory action impacts Telegram’s largest market globally, where the platform has an estimated 354 million monthly active users and nearly 600 million downloads since launch. Following the announcement, Google removed Telegram from its Play Store in India, though the app remained accessible to some users at the time of publication.

Why it matters

The Indian government’s move to block a major messaging platform to curb exam fraud highlights the growing tension between national public order mandates and digital platform access in the world’s largest market for such services. It underscores how regulators are increasingly willing to disrupt access for millions of users to police localized criminal activity.