Telegram ban: Telegram has been banned in India following warnings from the National Testing Agency (NTA) ahead of the NEET re-test scheduled for June 21. The authorities said several Telegram channels were allegedly involved in selling leaked question papers and fake exam materials, charging candidates large sums of money. Authorities and education regulators raised concerns that such groups were exploiting the platform’s anonymity, large file-sharing capacity, and editable messaging features to facilitate exam-related fraud. After finding several suspicious channels targeting students, the NTA suggested taking strict action to stop further misuse. Here’s the full story in five key points.
After the last NEET paper leak, the government agencies were vigilant of any such issue again, and with the re-NEET exam approaching, the NTA recommended strict action against Telegram. The authorities have clarified that they identified multiple channels like “PAPER LEAKED NEET”, “Re-NEET 2026” and “Private Mafia” who were openly advertising access to question papers and demanding large sums of money from candidates.
Moreover, the authorities said that the accounts were selling fake NEET papers and spreading misleading information. Officials argued that the platform had become a major hub for fraudsters trying to exploit students ahead of the re-exam.
Unlike most messaging apps, Telegram lets you hide your phone number and go by a username instead. Channel owners can also broadcast messages to as many followers as they want, completely anonymously. Many scammers misuse these features to trick students and steal money from them. On top of that, this anonymity makes it hard for authorities to track down scammers, which gives them more confidence to run such large networks.
Also read: Telegram banned in India till next week, here is why
The NTA also flagged that the messaging platform allows the users to share files up to 2GB without heavy restrictions. While it’s a good option when used correctly, in the current scenario it’s one of the main reasons why Telegram remains a popular choice amongst the scammers to create large communities.
Officials also added that Telegram allows its users to alter older posts while keeping the original timestamp intact, which makes it difficult for the authorities to check if an account or person was linked to the fraud.
If you are wondering why Telegram is facing a ban while WhatsApp, which is a similar messaging app, is still working, here is the reason. Though both platforms support messaging and formation of groups, WhatsApp accounts are tied directly to telephone numbers. In addition, Meta makes use of automation processes for the detection of suspicious behaviour, and they are generally more willing to cooperate with government authorities.
Also read: WhatsApp may soon let users send text messages that disappear after one view
There is no doubt that in the past few years Telegram has put much more effort into monitoring and deleting harmful content on its platform. To avoid misuse, they also identified and blocked many groups and channels across the globe.
Yet, the authorities believed that these steps were not enough for stopping activities associated with the NEET re-examination case. Hence, the decision was made to block Telegram in India.