Telegram founder Pavel Durov has criticised the Indian government’s temporary ban on Telegram, calling it a mistake that affects more than 150 million ordinary users across the country. Responding to the ban, Durov said that blocking the platform does not solve the problem of exam paper leaks, as those involved simply move to other apps.
He added that Telegram has already removed hundreds of channels linked to leaked exam materials and scams and is making its “edited” label more visible to prevent misuse.
The Indian government has temporarily restricted access to Telegram from June 17 to June 22, ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21. The move was recommended by the National Testing Agency (NTA) to curb cheating, fake paper leak claims, and misinformation related to the exam. Google has removed the app from the Play Store, while Apple is expected to comply with the order as well.
According to the NTA, the action was not triggered by any fresh paper leak. Instead, authorities were concerned about fake messages and edited posts being circulated on Telegram, causing anxiety among students. The government also ordered Telegram to disable its message-editing feature in India until June 30. Officials said some channel administrators were editing old posts to insert question papers later while retaining the original timestamp, creating false evidence that the paper had been leaked before the exam.
Several Telegram channels had reportedly been demanding money from students by claiming to offer access to leaked NEET papers. Before imposing the platform-wide restriction, authorities had already worked with police and cybercrime agencies to remove many such channels, groups, and bots.
The original NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3 was cancelled following allegations of irregularities, and the re-examination will now take place on June 21. The NTA has urged students to rely only on official sources for information and to report fraud through the National Cyber Crime Helpline.
The ban has sparked debate among experts and digital rights groups. The Internet Freedom Foundation called the measure disproportionate, while cybersecurity experts argued that users can still bypass restrictions through proxy services. Others defended the move, saying Telegram’s editing feature made it easier to spread convincing fake leak claims and create confusion among students.
Also Read: Re-NEET Question Papers And Scores Allegedly Being Sold Through Telegram Channels https://www.vibesofindia.com/re-neet-question-papers-and-scores-allegedly-being-sold-through-telegram-channels/
