- Telegram access restricted in India till June 22 ahead of NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination.
- Message editing feature to remain disabled till June 30 to prevent fake paper leak claims.
- NTA said the action was taken to curb organised cheating rackets.
- NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination will be held as scheduled on June 21.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 16th June: The National Testing Agency welcomed the directions issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to temporarily restrict access to Telegram in India and disable its message-editing feature to safeguard the integrity of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination.
According to the NTA, Telegram access will remain restricted till June 22, 2026, covering the examination period and its immediate aftermath, while the message-editing feature will remain disabled till June 30 to prevent the creation of fabricated “paper leak” evidence.
The agency said the action was taken after organised cheating networks allegedly used Telegram channels, groups and bots to spread fraudulent claims of providing access to NEET examination papers in exchange for money. NTA reiterated that no examination paper was available outside the secured examination process.
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre under the Ministry of Home Affairs, along with state police agencies and MeitY, coordinated action against several fraudulent channels and cyber fraud networks.
NTA acknowledged the inconvenience caused to legitimate Telegram users but said the measures were necessary to conduct a fair, secure and credible NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21. Candidates were advised to rely only on official NTA platforms for examination updates and report any fraud attempts to cyber authorities.
