Madurai: A temporary ban on the Telegram app in India, announced as a step to prevent irregularities linked to the NEET re-examination, has drawn objections from competitive exam aspirants, IT professionals and other users.
According to an announcement from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the restriction will remain in place until June 22. The move was made on the recommendation of the National Testing Agency (NTA) to curb question paper leaks and the activities of cheating networks.
Users opposing the ban said Telegram is not used only for messaging but also as a platform for study materials, technical learning and guidance for startups. Students preparing for UPSC, banking and railway exams said groups and channels on the app help them access educational resources, especially when they cannot afford high-fee private coaching centres.
They also pointed to features such as sending large files and cloud-based storage that helps save notes and model question papers without burdening phone memory. IT professionals said several companies use Telegram for internal communication, job updates, online training and customer support, and argued that blocking the entire platform due to misuse by a few is not justified.
The Centre, however, has said the ban is temporary and intended solely to prevent examination malpractice.
