Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: In a major move aimed at curbing examination-related fraud, the Centre has imposed a temporary restriction on the messaging platform Telegram across India until June 22, following recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA).
The measure has been taken to prevent alleged paper leaks, misinformation campaigns and cheating networks ahead of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21.
According to an NTA statement, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued a direction under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, restricting access to Telegram in India for a limited period ending June 22. The restriction covers the examination day and its immediate aftermath.
In addition, Telegram has been directed to disable its message-editing feature in India until June 30. The NTA stated that the feature has been misused in the past to create fabricated “paper leak” evidence by editing older messages and inserting examination papers after the tests had already been conducted, while retaining the original timestamp.
The NTA said both measures were implemented in the interest of public order and to counter the organised activities of cheating syndicates that allegedly used the platform to defraud candidates appearing for the re-examination. The agency expressed gratitude to MeitY for what it described as a timely intervention aimed at ensuring a fair and secure examination process.
The agency further highlighted the role of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs, which has coordinated efforts against Telegram-based fraud and misinformation targeting NEET candidates.
The NTA has said that state police forces and its own monitoring mechanisms, I4C, reportedly facilitated the removal of numerous Telegram channels, groups and automated bots that openly advertised fraudulent examination-related services.
