New Delhi, June 17: A day after the central government ordered temporary ban on its operation in India, Telegram today approached the Delhi High Court against the decision.
The Union Ministry of Telecom and Information Technology yesterday ordered blockade of access to Telegram messaging App till June in view of the NEET UG re-test scheduled for June 21.
The government’s came in the wake of a huge controversy surrounding the leak of NEET UG paper when the exam was conducted on May 3.
The investigation into the paper leak was earlier handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
According to the agency, the integrity of the examination was allegedly compromised after question papers were circulated in PDF format through messaging platforms, including WhatsApp and Telegram, before the exam took place.
The temporary restriction was ordered as part of efforts to stop the spread of unauthorised examination material ahead of the re-test.
The National Testing Agency (NTA), the nodal agency for conducting the NEET exams, welcomed the Centre’s decision, describing it as a step aimed at protecting the integrity of the medical entrance examination.
In a statement issued after the decision, the NTA said the restriction was imposed through a direction under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2020. The order limits access to Telegram for a specific and short period ending on June 22.
According to the agency, concerns had been raised over several Telegram channels that were allegedly operating in recent weeks with names suggesting links to leaked examination papers and organised malpractice.
Some of the channels reportedly used names such as “Paper Leaked NEET”, “Re-NEET 2026”, “Private Mafia”, and “Ree NEET Mafiaa”.
The action followed responses submitted by the NTA and the Ministry of Education.
Authorities said the move was necessary to curb the spread of misleading information and prevent any attempts to compromise the conduct of the upcoming re-examination.
The NTA stated that the temporary restriction would help ensure a fair and transparent examination process for candidates appearing in the NEET re-exam. (BVI)
