GoI defends temporary Telegram restrictions before NEET UG re-exam

New Delhi: The government of India defended its decision in the Delhi High Court to temporarily restrict access to Telegram ahead of the June 21 NEET UG 2026 re-examination, arguing that the platform’s bot infrastructure can be exploited to spread information on a large scale.

The controversy follows the cancellation of the May 3 NEET UG 2026 examination by the National Testing Agency (NTA) amid allegations of a paper leak. The case is currently being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

During court proceedings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta explained that a single Telegram account can generate up to 40 bots, which can further multiply and distribute content with minimal human intervention. He argued that Telegram’s cloud-based architecture presents unique challenges for law enforcement because users can remain difficult to trace even when accounts are blocked.

The government also cited reports claiming that Telegram has been used in terrorist-related activities and that authorities face enforcement difficulties due to the platform’s technical design.

The NTA stated that access restrictions on Telegram will end on June 22, while a separate ban on editing previously posted messages will remain in place until June 30. The agency clarified that users can still send and receive new messages during this period.

Officials said the restrictions were imposed after efforts to remove problematic channels individually failed to achieve sufficient compliance. According to NTA Director General Abhishek Singh, authorities found no evidence of an actual paper leak but were dealing with fabricated messages and misinformation that caused significant anxiety among students.

One tactic involved editing old Telegram posts after examinations to insert actual question papers while retaining original timestamps, creating the false impression that the papers had been leaked beforehand.

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov criticized the restrictions, arguing that the measures affected more than 150 million Indian users without addressing those responsible for the leaks. He claimed that Telegram had already removed hundreds of channels linked to leaked exam materials and scams and had improved visibility of the “edited” label to combat manipulation.

Durov also suggested that business interests linked to rival messaging platforms may have influenced the decision. Meanwhile, the Internet Freedom Foundation criticized the government’s action as a disproportionate response to examination fraud.