India temporarily blocks access to Telegram over exam fraud concerns

India has issued an bid to artifact Telegram until June 22 implicit concerns that fraudsters are utilizing the messaging level to people candidates up of a re-test of the country’s biggest entranceway exam.

The determination was announced connected Tuesday by India’s National Testing Agency, which administers the National Eligibility Entrance Test (Undergraduate) (NEET (UG)), a aesculapian assemblage entranceway exam taken by millions of students each year. The Agency said the restrictions were aimed astatine preventing cheating networks from utilizing Telegram to merchantability fake exam papers and dispersed misinformation earlier the June 21 re-test of NEET.

The restrictions see a nationwide, impermanent prohibition connected Telegram until June 22, a time aft the re-test. The Agency besides wants the level to disable its message-editing diagnostic until June 30, arguing that the diagnostic has been utilized to fabricate grounds of exam insubstantial leaks aft tests person been conducted.

“Both measures person been taken successful the involvement of nationalist order, successful effect to the organized usage of the level by cheating rackets to defraud candidates appearing for the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination,” the bureau said.

The bid was issued nether Section 69A of India’s Information Technology Act, the country’s ineligible mechanics for blocking online services and content, the bureau said.

The determination has drawn contiguous disapproval from integer rights advocates. Digital advocacy radical Internet Freedom Foundation said the restrictions were a “disproportionate” effect to exam fraud, and questioned whether Section 69A permits the authorities to artifact an full level alternatively than circumstantial content.

“Shutting down Telegram is simply a band-aid solution and a disproportionate reply to exam fraud,” the radical said successful a statement.

The re-test comes aft NEET (UG) was rocked by a insubstantial leak scandal past month, prompting a national probe and renewed scrutiny of the exam system. Indian authorities person since sought to tighten information astir specified nationalist tests.

India is Telegram’s biggest marketplace by downloads, making the impermanent artifact 1 of the astir important restrictions imposed connected the messaging service.

That said, Telegram remained accessible successful India astatine the clip of publication, and its message-editing diagnostic appeared to relation normally.

Telegram and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology did not instantly respond to requests for comment.