Indian telcos block Telegram; Apple and Google delist app following govt order (Lead)

New Delhi, June 16 (IANS) Telegram became inaccessible to millions of users across India on Tuesday after major telecom operators blocked the messaging platform and tech giants Apple and Google removed it from their app stores, following directions from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

The move is part of the government’s efforts to prevent examination-related fraud ahead of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination and tighten control over the circulation of unauthorised content online.

The development comes days after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), acting on recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA), imposed a temporary restriction on Telegram until June 22.

The government said the measure was necessary to prevent the spread of examination-related fraud, misinformation campaigns and cheating networks ahead of the NEET (UG) re-examination scheduled for June 21.

According to the NTA, the restriction was issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and covers the examination period as well as its immediate aftermath.

The agency had stated that several Telegram channels and groups were allegedly being used to circulate misleading claims regarding examination paper leaks and to lure students with fraudulent offers promising access to question papers.

In addition to the temporary access restriction, Telegram was directed to disable its message-editing feature in India until June 30.

Authorities argued that the feature had previously been misused to create fabricated evidence of paper leaks by allowing users to edit old messages and replace attached files while retaining original timestamps.

The NTA had maintained that despite widespread claims circulating online, no NEET examination paper had been leaked.

It said the restrictions were imposed only after targeted actions, including the removal of specific channels, groups and bots, were found insufficient to tackle the scale of the problem.

The agency also credited the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs, along with state police forces and other central agencies, for identifying and acting against Telegram-based fraud networks.

Law enforcement agencies across multiple states have launched investigations into examination-related scams allegedly conducted through social media and messaging platforms.

–IANS

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