Last updated on June 30th, 2026 at 10:27 am
India has imposed a nationwide block on Telegram until June 22, 2026, following an order from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) under Section 69A of the IT Act. The action came after the National Testing Agency (NTA) requested intervention to curb exam-related fraud.
The timing coincides with the NEET-UG re-exam scheduled for June 21, as authorities aim to disrupt organized cheating networks that use Telegram to target students. The restriction has affected over 150 million users across the country.
Telegram challenges India ban over exam paper leak fears https://t.co/mmpnqI8n9W
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) June 17, 2026
Why Was Telegram Banned in India?
The NTA called for the ban after uncovering extensive fraud operations on Telegram. Groups with names such as “PAPER LEAKED NEET” and “Private Mafia” asked large payments from families, falsely claiming to provide advance access to exam papers.
In response, authorities also directed Telegram to turn off its message-editing feature until June 30. This tool has been used by cheating groups to change old posts, making it appear as if genuine exam papers were leaked before the test. The unchanged timestamp on edited posts has fueled public concern and confusion.
Telegram and the court pushback
Telegram has taken the government to the Delhi High Court to fight the block. On June 17, Advocate Madhav Khosla brought the case urgently before a vacation bench led by Justice Tejas Karia. The company argues that the ban is unfair and hurts millions of regular people. App founder Pavel Durov also criticized the decision on the social media platform X. He said Telegram had already removed hundreds of scam channels.
Durov argued that the ban does not stop illegal acts because bad actors move to other apps. Digital rights groups have also spoken out, calling it a temporary fix that hurts local businesses and students.
Other countries like Brazil and Iran have blocked apps in the past when tech platforms refused to share data with local police. This new ban shows the ongoing struggle between government rules and global technology companies.
Meanwhile, Telegram is renaming Toncoin to Gram and pushing its own crypto ecosystem harder in June 2026. TON drops the old name to match Telegram’s brand and grow apps, payments, and wallets inside the app. The move gives Telegram more control and aims to make crypto easier for its millions of users.
Enjoyed this? Bookmark DeFi Planet, explore related topics, and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Threads and CoinMarketCap Community for seamless access to high-quality industry insights
Take control of your crypto portfolio with DEFI PLANET PRO, DeFi Planet’s suite of analytics tools
