New Delhi, June 23: The Government of India has ended the temporary restrictions on Telegram messaging app, allowing access to its services which had been blocked ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination on June 21.
Telegram is once again available for download on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, and messaging services have resumed for most users, indicating a rollback of the curbs introduced earlier this month.
The platform’s website has also become accessible in many parts of the country.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, or MeitY, had directed internet service providers to block Telegram until 22 June as a precautionary step to prevent the circulation of examination-related content during the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET-UG, re-examination.
The temporary ban was imposed in view of paper leak during the initial NEET-UG exam held on May 3, which had sparked a massive outrage in the country.
The temporary shutdown had made the app unavailable for installation or reinstallation, triggering uncertainty among users and sparking debate over the use of platform-level restrictions to secure high-stakes examinations.
While core messaging services are being restored, Telegram’s message-editing feature will remain unavailable until 30 June, according to earlier government directions.
Users in some regions may still experience intermittent access issues as services continue to stabilise. (BVI)
