India has blocked the messaging app Telegram until Monday (21 June) and demanded the platform disable the ability to edit sent messages, citing its use to “defraud students” and “leak exam papers” ahead of upcoming national exams.
The restriction order was issued on Tuesday (15 June) under a strict provision of information technology law that allows the government to block access to online sites for reasons of “sovereignty and integrity”.
Activists argue the provision is often used to curb free speech, although Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government insists the action is lawful and in the public interest.
Last month, the government scrapped a crucial medical college entrance exam, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), after authorities found exam questions had been leaked in advance.
The leaks triggered a wave of student protests across the country, including a viral satire movement, the Cockroach Janta Party, calling for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The government scheduled a fresh exam for Sunday (20 June).
The restrictions on Telegram were imposed “to tackle the organised use of the platform by cheating syndicates to defraud students appearing for the supplementary NEET 2026 examination, scheduled for 21 June 2026,” the National Testing Agency under the Ministry of Education said in a statement.
Telegram has grown rapidly in India and is the app’s largest download market, though WhatsApp remains the dominant messaging platform.
The government said it “regrets the inconvenience caused” by blocking the app, which will affect hundreds of thousands of people, but that it was a “last resort” after earlier efforts to remove content from the platform proved ineffective.
