Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Messaging platform Telegram on June 23 returned to the Google Play Store after the Government lifted the temporarily ban across India as a precautionary measure because of the NEET UG 2026 re-examination.
The Government had ordered the temporary blocking of Telegram from June 16 to 22 following a request from the National Testing Agency (NTA), which alleged that the platform was being used by organised cheating rackets to mislead and defraud candidates appearing for the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination held on June 21.
Meanwhile, the Centre’s decision to disable Telegram’s message-editing feature will remain in force till June 30. However, the app remained unavailable on Apple’s App Store.
The NTA had said that both measures were taken in the interest of public order in response to the organised use of the platform by cheating networks targeting NEET candidates.
The NEET UG re-examination was conducted successfully on June 21, with no reports of paper leaks or other major fraudulent activities emerging so far.
Earlier in the month, the Delhi High Court upheld the Centre’s decision to temporarily suspend Telegram’s services and disable its message-editing feature.
Dismissing a petition filed by Telegram FZ LLC, the court held that the government had followed the procedure prescribed under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act while invoking emergency blocking powers and that the restrictions satisfied the test of proportionality.
