Telegram Ban News: Why was Telegram banned in India? What is its connection with NEET re-exam? Which feature of Telegram has been stopped by the government? Was NEET paper really being leaked on Telegram? What has NTA said to the students?
Telegram Edit Feature Ban: The biggest news of this time is coming for lakhs of medical students of the country. Just before the re-examination of NEET UG 2026, the Government of India has taken a big step. Popular messaging app Telegram has been temporarily banned in the country. This tough decision has come after viral claims and rumors that the NEET exam paper was leaked through Telegram. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has now issued its strictest statement on this. Let us know why the government has imposed this ban and what is the feature of Telegram that gave rise to this entire controversy…
Why did the government ban Telegram?
NEET UG 2026 re-exam is going to be held on June 21. To ensure that the examination is completely safe and fair, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) of the Government of India has issued two major instructions. First, under Section 69A of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, the use of Telegram app has been banned in the entire country. This restriction will remain in force till June 22, 2026, so that the exam day and the time immediately after it remains completely safe. Secondly, the feature to edit any old sent message on Telegram has been blocked till June 30, 2026. NTA has clearly said that ‘don’t let rumors decide your future. No one, yes no one has the paper before the exam. The exam is completely safe.
Through which feature of Telegram was the paper leaked?
The most shocking revelation in this entire matter is regarding Telegram’s ‘message editing’ feature. NTA said that vicious networks committing cyber fraud were misusing this feature.
How the fake game of ‘Paper Leak’ was created through ‘Edit’ button of Telegram?
- Admin can edit any old message on Telegram, but its original timestamp does not change.
- These fraudsters used to post any simple message or file in the group before the commencement of the examination.
- As soon as the exam was over and the real question paper came out, these people would secretly edit that old message and insert the PDF of the real paper in it.
- After this, a screenshot of that message would be shared on social media and it would be claimed that ‘See, the paper had reached us only 2 hours before the exam.’
- To stop this fraud, the government has locked the edit feature of Telegram in India.
NEET paper, private mafia and scam of ₹1.5 crore
NTA was keeping an eye on suspicious channels of Telegram for the last several months. Groups with names like “PAPER LEAKED NEET”, “Re-NEET 2026”, “Private Mafia” and “REE NEET MAFIAA” were running rampant on the app. These groups were demanding money ranging from a few thousand rupees to lakhs of rupees from the students and their families in exchange for the papers.
What action has been taken so far regarding NEET paper leak?
Investigating agencies are continuously in action in this case. Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch has arrested a big interstate gang, which was running 8 Telegram channels. Investigation revealed that they made transactions worth around ₹1.5 crore through fake bank accounts and contacted more than 1,000 students in a single month. The Economic Offenses Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police had also issued an advisory on June 9 itself asking students to be cautious of these online fraudsters.
What did NTA say on the problems of students?
NTA said, ‘We know that millions of students of the country use Telegram for study notes, quizzes and educational groups. NTA has also admitted that this ban will definitely cause some trouble to honest students, for which the agency has expressed regret. But at the same time it was also made clear that it was extremely necessary to take this strict step for the security and transparency of the examination.