The Union government has ordered a temporary block on the Telegram app in India until the NEET examination process is completed, citing concerns over question paper leak-related fraud.
The move comes ahead of the NEET re-examination scheduled for June 21, which is being held after the earlier test was cancelled following allegations of a paper leak. Authorities said they are taking steps to ensure the re-test is conducted without disruptions.
According to officials, some anti-social elements have been using Telegram to claim they possess leaked question papers and have been collecting money from students through such scams. The National Testing Agency (NTA) initiated action to identify those involved and to prevent students from being cheated.
Based on the NTA’s recommendation, the Centre has imposed a temporary ban on Telegram until June 22. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued the order under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
In addition, editing of already-published Telegram posts has been restricted until June 30, with the government stating that the step is aimed at ensuring that potential digital traces linked to offenders are not erased using the platform’s edit feature.
