The National Testing Agency (NTA) has defended the Centre’s decision to temporarily restrict access to Telegram in India ahead of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination, describing it as a “calibrated and time-bound” measure aimed at preventing organised cheating and misinformation. Based on NTA’s recommendation, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has restricted access to the messaging platform until June 22 and directed Telegram to disable its message-editing feature in India until June 30. According to the agency, the move is intended to curb the spread of fake paper leak claims and protect the integrity of the examination scheduled for June 21.
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In an official statement, NTA said the action was taken “in the interest of public order” after cheating rackets allegedly used Telegram channels to defraud NEET aspirants by promising access to question papers in exchange for money. The agency also revealed that several channels carrying names such as “PAPER LEAKED NEET”, “Re-NEET 2026” and “REE NEET MAFIAA” had been identified for allegedly demanding amounts ranging from a few thousand rupees to several lakh rupees from students and their families.
“NTA reiterates that there is no such paper available outside the secured examination chain. The promise of any such material is, in every instance, a fraud,” the statement said. The agency acknowledged that the temporary restriction by the Indian Government would inconvenience lakhs of legitimate users but maintained that the decision was limited to the examination period and necessary to ensure a fair and credible test.
However, the move has drawn criticism from students and digital rights advocates, who argue that a blanket ban penalises genuine users while failing to address the root cause of exam leaks. “Does banning Telegram mean that the paper is already in someone’s hand and was being circulated on Telegram? If that is true, then those who have the paper will simply move to another platform,” said one NEET aspirant reacting to the announcement. Another student questioned the approach, saying, “It’s not democracy, it’s hypocrisy. Remove the corrupt officers of NTA, that will really work. Banning a platform used by millions for various purposes won’t help.”
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The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) described the decision as a “band-aid solution” and argued that it fails the constitutional test of proportionality. ”A restriction on access has to be the least intrusive measure that achieves its aim,” IFF said, pointing out that NTA itself acknowledged that targeted takedowns coordinated by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) had already contained much of the harm.
The organisation further argued that if channel-level action was effective, a platform-wide restriction was unnecessary and imposed a disproportionate burden on ordinary users. The foundation also questioned the rationale behind the ban, noting that NTA’s own statement says there is “no such paper available outside the secured examination chain” and that “the security of the examination is unaffected.” Student groups also highlighted the timing of the restriction, saying thousands of NEET aspirants rely on Telegram for study groups, doubt-clearing sessions and sharing educational resources during the final days of preparation. According to critics, exam leaks originate from failures within the examination ecosystem, including insiders, printing facilities and logistics networks, with messaging platforms serving only as downstream channels for circulation.
“The block of Telegram is reactive and ineffective and will punish ordinary users instead of addressing the systemic source of exam leaks,” one such statement said. Meanwhile, NTA has urged candidates to ignore rumours, rely only on official communication channels and report any fraudulent claims through the National Cyber Crime Helpline or the Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. The NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination will proceed as scheduled on June 21 amid heightened security arrangements and coordinated action by MeitY, the Ministry of Home Affairs, I4C, the Central Bureau of Investigation and state police agencies.
