Explained: Why Telegram faces scrutiny amid efforts to curb paper leak

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) blocked messaging platform Telegram in India until 22 June at the request of the National Testing Agency (NTA), citing concerns over its alleged use in paper leak-related activities ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination.

The temporary ban comes after the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) conducted on 3 May was cancelled amid allegations of widespread paper leaks and examination irregularities. The re-test is scheduled for 21 June.

According to the NTA, Telegram was allegedly being used to circulate purported question papers and facilitate communication between students, middlemen and others linked to suspected paper leak networks.

The blocking order has been issued under Section 69(A) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

In addition to the temporary ban, the government has directed Telegram to disable its message-editing feature in India until 30 June. The NTA said the move was aimed at preventing the creation of fabricated evidence relating to alleged examination paper leaks.

“The directions are a measure of last resort,” the agency said.

Explaining the rationale behind the decision, the NTA said several Telegram channels had been openly soliciting money from students and their families in exchange for alleged access to the NEET re-examination paper.

According to the agency, some channels operated under names such as “PAPER LEAKED NEET”, “Re-NEET 2026”, “Private Mafia” and “REE NEET MAFIAA”, with demands ranging from a few thousand rupees to several lakh rupees.

The NTA maintained that no examination papers were available outside the secured examination system.

The agency said the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), acting on inputs from the NTA and state law enforcement agencies, had already facilitated the removal of a substantial number of Telegram channels, groups and bots allegedly involved in misleading candidates.

The issue gained further attention after Ahmedabad Police arrested two men from Rajasthan on 15 June for allegedly operating a fraud racket through Telegram. Investigators said the accused claimed to possess the NEET re-examination question paper and offered to sell it to aspirants and their families, though police found no evidence that they actually had access to leaked papers.

The NTA also defended the decision to temporarily disable Telegram's message-editingfunction.

According to the agency, the feature allows administrators to edit previously posted messages and attachments while retaining the original timestamp. Officials argued that the capability had been used in several recent examination controversies to create the appearance that question papers had been circulated before an examination.

Under such a method, administrators could allegedly replace old files with actual question papers after an examination had concluded, while the original timestamp remained unchanged.

The NTA said disabling the feature would help prevent the creation of what it described as fabricated “paper leak” evidence during the post-examination period.

Why Telegram has come under scrutiny

Telegram's role in examination-related controversies has also drawn attention because of several platform features that make large-scale content distribution easier than on conventional messaging services.

Unlike WhatsApp, which is primarily designed around private chats and limited group communication, Telegram allows public channels that can attract unlimited subscribers and be discovered through searches or shared links. This enables operators of channels to reach large audiences without requiring direct contact with users.

The platform also functions as a cloud-based file repository. Files uploaded to Telegram remain stored on its servers and can be accessed by users who join a channel long after the content was originally posted. This allows administrators to maintain extensive archives of documents, videos and other material without repeatedly uploading them.

Telegram further supports automated bots that can distribute files, respond to user queries and manage large communities with minimal human intervention. Such tools have been widely used for legitimate purposes but have also been employed by operators of fraudulent schemes and online scam networks.

Officials say the combination of public channels, cloud-based file storage, automated distribution tools and editable posts has made Telegram particularly attractive to groups seeking to circulate alleged leaked papers, run examination-related scams or disseminate misleading information at scale.