Protesters from the National Students Union of India (NSUI) hold placards bearing the image of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan during a demonstration in Hyderabad, Telangana, on June 13, 2026, over alleged exam paper leaks and the rescheduling of NEET.
Photo: NurPhoto/Getty Images
Indian authorities have temporarily blocked access to Telegram as they try to curb exam-related fraud following the cancellation of a major national test that triggered protests in several parts of the country.
In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, the National Testing Agency said Telegram would remain inaccessible until June 22. The agency also said the app’s message editing function would be disabled through June 30.
According to the NTA, the restrictions were imposed because cheating networks had been making “organized use” of Telegram to target candidates set to appear for a national entrance examination on June 21.
The action comes in the wake of the controversy surrounding the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for undergraduate admissions, or NEET-UG, a key gateway for entry into medical colleges across India. The exam was scrapped in May after allegations of a paper leak, disrupting the plans of millions of students and fueling public anger.
Telegram is owned by Russian-born tech billionaire Pavel Durov, and it claims to have more than 1 billion monthly active users globally. CNBC has reached out to Telegram for comment.
Over the past few weeks, government investigations found multiple channels on Telegram claiming to have access to leaked exam papers and soliciting payments “ranging from a few thousand to several lakhs of rupees from candidates and their families.”
The NTA has said that no such exam paper is “available outside the secured examination chain,” and claiming access to it amounts to fraud.
Last month, Rahul Gandhi, India’s leader of the opposition, demanded the resignation of the country’s education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, following the NEET “paper leak” that affected 2.2 million students. The NEET-UG exam was first held on May 3 but was cancelled on May 12, following complaints of irregularities in the process.
A social media-first, mock political party known as the Cockroach Janta Party has also organized protests across India demanding accountability for the paper leak issue.
The discrepancies in exams have been “fairly disastrous,” Ashok Malik, partner at public policy think tank The Asia Group told CNBC earlier this month. “It is perhaps the biggest challenge the government has faced in 12 years,” he said.
