Telegram blocked ahead of NEET re-exam to curb cheating and misinformation

The central government has temporarily restricted access to Telegram across India ahead of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination, citing concerns over examination-related fraud, misinformation and organised cheating networks.

The restriction, which will remain in place until 22 June, follows recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA) and is intended to cover the period immediately before and after the re-examination scheduled for 21 June.

According to the NTA, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued the direction under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, after assessing threats linked to the misuse of the messaging platform during examination periods.

In a separate measure, Telegram has also been directed to disable its message-editing functionality for users in India until 30 June. Authorities said the feature had allegedly been exploited in the past to create misleading claims of question paper leaks by altering older messages while retaining their original timestamps.

The NTA said the restrictions were designed to protect the integrity of the examination process and disrupt the activities of organised groups allegedly involved in cheating and fraudulent schemes targeting students.

Officials noted that earlier interventions, including the removal of specific channels and groups, had proved insufficient to address the scale of the problem. The latest action, they said, represents a temporary and proportionate response during a sensitive examination period.

The agency credited the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs, with coordinating intelligence and enforcement efforts against Telegram-based scams and misinformation campaigns. It said multiple channels, groups and automated bots promoting fraudulent examination services had been identified and taken down with the support of central and state agencies.

According to the NTA, several channels operating under names associated with paper leaks and examination scams had been soliciting payments ranging from a few thousand rupees to several lakh rupees in exchange for purported access to question papers. The agency reiterated that no NEET examination paper had been leaked and warned students against falling victim to such claims.

Authorities have expressed particular concern over the ability to edit messages and replace attachments without changing the original posting time, a feature they believe has been used to manufacture false evidence suggesting that examination papers were circulated before the test.

Law enforcement agencies in multiple states have also stepped up action against suspected examination fraud networks. The Bihar Police Economic Offences Unit recently issued advisories warning candidates against social media scams, while the Ahmedabad City Cyber Crime Branch arrested individuals allegedly linked to an inter-state network operating examination-related Telegram channels.

While acknowledging that Telegram serves millions of users for legitimate educational, professional and personal communication, the NTA said the temporary restrictions were necessary to ensure a fair and secure environment for candidates appearing in the re-examination.

The agency assured students and parents that the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination would proceed as scheduled on 21 June and urged candidates to rely only on official NTA communication channels for updates.

It also encouraged the public to report suspicious approaches and examination-related fraud through the National Cyber Crime Helpline and the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.

The NTA thanked MeitY, the Ministry of Home Affairs, I4C, the Central Bureau of Investigation and state police forces for their coordinated efforts, describing the operation as part of a broader push to safeguard the credibility and transparency of India's examination system.

With IANS inputs