India blocked Telegram from about June 16 to June 22, 2026 ahead of the NEET-UG retest on June 21, in an order from the electronics ministry made on the National Testing Agency’s recommendation.
The order used Section 69A of the IT Act, The Quint reported. Telegram was also told to disable message editing in India until June 30. Founder Pavel Durov said the ban punished about 150 million ordinary Indian users. Details are based on The Quint and The Star.
Timeline of the Telegram block
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| May 2026 | NEET exam scrapped after an alleged paper leak |
| About June 16 | Block ordered |
| June 21 | NEET-UG retest |
| June 22 | Temporary block due to end |
| June 30 | Message editing limit due to end |
Why the government acted
The NTA said cheating rackets were using Telegram to defraud candidates, selling fake access to the retest paper, and called the block a last resort after takedowns fell short. Editing was restricted because, the government said, it was being used to fake paper leak evidence by swapping files while keeping the old timestamp.
Critics disagreed. Durov said the ban “hasn’t stopped anything” and that “the leaks just moved to other apps”. The Internet Freedom Foundation called it a disproportionate answer to exam fraud.
Why it matters for mobile shops
App blocks bring a burst of customer questions, and some people will try unsafe VPN apps. Explain that a block like this is a government order, not a fault in the phone or SIM. Shops and small sellers using Telegram for offers should keep a second channel, such as WhatsApp, ready.
Correction (November 1, 2026): An earlier version said the exam agency ordered the block and gave 200 million users. The electronics ministry issued the order, and Telegram's founder put users at about 150 million.
