India temporarily restricts Telegram ahead of NEET-UG 2026 re-exam until June 22

Telegram services have been restored in India, with users now able to chat and access other features on the platform once again after a temporary nationwide restriction. The messaging app's listing has returned to the Google Play Store in India, though it remains unavailable on Apple's App Store (at the time of writing). It is likely to go live in sometime for iPhone users as well.Message-editing feature stays restricted till June 30While general access has been restored, one specific feature continues to face restrictions. Telegram's message-editing function for previously sent texts will remain disabled in India until June 30, as a precautionary measure. The restriction targets a specific method that had been used to fabricate fake exam-leak evidence, editing old posts after an examination to insert the actual question paper while retaining the original timestamp. Normal use of the app for sending and receiving new messages is not affected by this continuing restriction.guyss TELEGRAM STARTED WORKING in INDIA— Deepak (@DeepakKuma28134) June 23, 2026 Telegram restored in India #telegram— Dolo 650 (@koshurambur) June 23, 2026 Why was Telegram banned in the first place?Telegram's access had been restricted by India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, acting on formal recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA). The action came ahead of the NEET (UG) 2026 medical entrance re-examination held on June 21, after several channels on the platform, including ones operating under names like 'PAPER LEAKED NEET' and 'Re-NEET 2026', were found selling leaked exam questions to candidates and their families for sums ranging from a few thousand to several lakh rupees. The NTA had described the ban as a 'measure of last resort,' taken after channel-by-channel takedowns coordinated by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) failed to produce adequate compliance from the platform.

The government on June 16 directed Telegram and its associated URLs to be blocked across India till June 22 ahead of the June 21 NEET-UG re-exam.

Telegram's temporary ban in India is scheduled to be lifted today, as per the timeline set by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). However, the platform's message-editing feature for previously sent texts will remain restricted in the country until June 30.As of the time of writing, Telegram had not yet been restored for users, and the app's listings were still missing from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in India. There is no clarity on when Telegram will be back live. MeitY to lift ban on June 22According to the official MeitY directive, the full access restriction was slated to be reviewed and lifted on June 22, with the message-editing feature remaining restricted until June 30, 2026. The restoration of access does not necessarily mean an immediate return to normalcy for users, given the separate, longer timeline attached to the editing feature.Network rollback may take timeEven after the order takes effect, Telegram's access status may change as internet service providers implement or roll back enforcement, meaning users may need to check their carrier's network for current availability rather than expect instant restoration. App store relistings have historically lagged behind network-level unblocking in similar cases, and there was no confirmation yet of when Telegram would reappear on app marketplaces in India.'Telegram Ban Punishes 150 Million Indians,' Says Founder Pavel Durov As India Restricts Messaging Platform Amid NEET 2026 CrackdownWhy was Telegram banned in India?The ban traces back to the NEET (UG) 2026 medical entrance exam crisis. MeitY invoked Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, to implement the restriction, acting on formal recommendations from the National Testing Agency. The NTA had sought a temporary restriction on Telegram access in India ahead of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination held on June 21, after channels on the platform were found selling leaked exam questions.An Indian court had earlier rejected an appeal by Telegram against the ban, with Delhi High Court judge Tejas Karia ruling that the government's orders were reasoned and had followed legal procedure. Telegram, in its court filings, said it had taken down more than 900 links involving unlawful exam-related content, and called the government's account of prior meetings 'one-sided and inaccurate.''Telegram Is A Force For Good, Leaks Just Moved To Other Apps': Pavel Durov Slams India's Week-Long Platform Ban Over NEET UG 2026 Exam ControversyTelegram founder Pavel Durov had publicly slammed the move. He called the ban a rash decision, arguing that India had punished 150 million ordinary users instead of the insiders responsible for the leak, and noted that the ban did not stop the leaks but merely pushed them onto other messaging apps like WhatsApp.Digital rights group Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) had also criticised the order, particularly the message-editing restriction. The IFF flagged that the message-editing direction cited no clear legal source of power, calling the move a band-aid solution and a disproportionate response to exam fraud.

Indian users are flocking to VPNs and alternative messaging apps after the government temporarily blocked Telegram, with download numbers hitting their highest levels in over a year.According to data shared with TechCrunch by app intelligence firm Appfigures, the day India announced the Telegram restriction, was the biggest day for VPN app downloads in the country since at least the start of 2025, with downloads of major VPN apps rising 49 percent from a recent daily average of 139,000 to 208,000.Individual VPN providers saw even sharper spikes. Proton VPN downloads on Apple's App Store in India jumped 113 percent, while Turbo VPN downloads rose 85 percent; on Google Play, Proton VPN climbed 64 percent and Turbo VPN rose 35 percent, with NordVPN's App Store downloads up 41 percent and ExpressVPN's Google Play downloads up 31 percent. The surge also reshuffled app-store rankings. Proton VPN climbed from 18th to 5th in Apple's Utilities rankings between June 16 and June 18, and rose from 8th to 2nd in Google Play's Tools category.Telegram Goes Dark In India: App Delisted From Google & Apple Stores, Existing Users Cannot Use It Ahead Of NEET UG 2026 Re-ExamThe trend wasn't confined to a few apps. Sensor Tower reportedly said that downloads across the entire VPN app category in India rose 10 percent day-over-day on June 17, reversing a decline seen over the previous two weeks.Why did Telegram get banned in India?The restriction, set to last until June 22, came after concerns that fraudsters were using Telegram to target candidates ahead of a re-test for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), India's largest entrance exam by applicant volume. The government said the move was necessary to stop the circulation of fake exam papers and related scams. Telegram has since challenged the order in the Delhi High Court, arguing authorities should target specific content rather than block the entire platform.'Telegram Ban Punishes 150 Million Indians,' Says Founder Pavel Durov As India Restricts Messaging Platform Amid NEET 2026 CrackdownVPN providers report similar spikes in registrationsBeyond download charts, providers reported sharp jumps in sign-ups. Proton reportedly said daily registrations from India rose 120 percent above baseline, after hourly registrations had already spiked 150 percent on Tuesday evening once the restriction took effect, calling the increase 'extremely noteworthy' given its existing scale in the country.Users also fled to alternative messaging appsIt wasn't just VPNs. The report suggests that Signal downloads in India rose 72 percent on Apple's App Store and 322 percent on Google Play following the restriction, while Viber's App Store downloads increased 216 percent, according to Appfigures. Notably, Telegram-linked app iMe saw its Google Play downloads jump from a recent daily average of about 827 to 50,900 on June 16.Court battle continuesTelegram highlighted its cooperation with Indian authorities during this week's Delhi High Court hearings, with its lawyers saying the company had removed channels flagged by authorities and questioning the need for a platform-wide block affecting more than 150 million users in India.Government lawyers defended the restriction as a temporary, event-linked response tied to the NEET re-test, with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta telling the court that while a permanent ban could raise proportionality concerns, the current measure had a 'logical nexus' to its objective. After hearing arguments from both sides on Thursday, the Delhi High Court reserved its order, with a verdict expected Friday.

In an affidavit filed in response to Telegram's plea challenging the government's move to temporarily restrict access to the app ahead of the June 21 NEET-UG retest, the government countered that the "scale of the said channel itself demonstrates the capability of Telegram to facilitate mass dissemination of unlawful examination-related content". "Telegram has become the new dark web, linking threat actors.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the Centre's response on a plea filed by messaging platform Telegram challenging the government's decision to temporarily suspend its services across India ahead of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21. Court issues noticeIssuing notice on the writ petition, the vacation bench of Justice Tejas Karia granted liberty to the respondents (authorities) to file their reply along with relevant documents and posted the matter for further hearing on Thursday at 2.30 p.m."We have heard the learned senior counsel for the petitioner as well as learned Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. Respondents are at liberty to file their reply along with all the documents," the Delhi HC ordered.Urgent hearing before benchThe matter was taken up after Telegram mentioned the case before the vacation bench earlier in the day, seeking an urgent hearing. Telegram has challenged the restrictions imposed pursuant to directions issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, following recommendations made by the National Testing Agency.Telegram Goes Dark In India: App Delisted From Google & Apple Stores, Existing Users Cannot Use It Ahead Of NEET UG 2026 Re-Exam Government cites exam security concernsThe Union government on Tuesday announced a temporary restriction on Telegram's operations in India until June 22, covering the examination day and its immediate aftermath, as part of efforts to prevent alleged paper leaks, misinformation campaigns and cheating networks ahead of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21. According to the NTA, the temporary restriction became necessary after other measures, including channel-specific takedowns and enforcement actions, were found insufficient to address the scale of the problem.Apart from restricting access to the platform, authorities also directed Telegram to disable its message-editing feature in India till June 30. The NTA claimed that the feature had previously been misused to create fabricated evidence of question paper leaks by editing older messages and replacing attachments while retaining the original timestamp.The NTA said several Telegram channels operating under names such as "Paper Leaked NEET", "Re-NEET 2026" and "Private Mafia" had allegedly been demanding payments from candidates in exchange for purported access to examination papers.8 Lesser-Known Telegram Features That WhatsApp Still Doesn't Have Telegram founder reacts to suspensionMeanwhile, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov criticised the temporary suspension, saying it had affected more than 150 million users in India. In a post on X, Durov said Telegram had already removed hundreds of channels in recent weeks that were allegedly involved in sharing leaked examination materials and running scams targeting students in India. He also said the company was working to make the "edited" label on messages more prominent to prevent backdating scams and manipulation of content timestamps. The remarks came as Google and Apple removed Telegram from their respective app stores in India in compliance with the government's directive.Background to NEET re-examThe NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination is being conducted following allegations of question paper leaks during the original examination held on May 3.(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)