Telegram Faces Temporary Ban Ahead Of NEET UG Re-Exam Over 'Cheating Network' Fears

Telegram Blocked In India: India on Tuesday blocked Telegram ahead of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) Undergraduate re-examination on June 22 over cheating network fears. The move comes after the "guess paper' of NEET exam held on May 3 was circulated through Telegram among other channels. Thereafter, the medical entrance exam was cancelled.

The National Testing Agency said, "The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued a directive under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. Under this, access to the Telegram platform in India has been restricted for a fixed and limited period (till June 22, 2026). This period includes the day of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination and the time immediately thereafter."

'Message Editing Feature To Remain Disabled Until June 30'

"The directive asks the platform to disable the 'message-editing' feature for messages already posted in India by a specified time (June 30, 2026). This action has been taken in view of a specific feature that has been used to fabricate evidence of 'paper leak' after the incident in relation to national examinations," the agency further added.

As per CBI investigation, accused Shubham Khairnar, a BAMS graduate from Nashik, passed the "guess paper" to the another accused Yash Yadav, a Gurugram-based accused. According to the investigation, Yash Yadav shared the Physics, Chemistry, and Biology question papers in PDF format on Telegram on April 29, four days before the exam.

ALSO READ: How A 19-Year-Old Breached NTA Portals To Steal NEET Aspirants' Refunds

Health, Education Ministries Assure Fool-Proof Measures For NEET UG Re-Exam

Last week, top Central government officials from the ministries of health and education assured a Parliamentary panel that the departments have taken foolproof measures to ensure the NEET-UG re-exam on June 21 is conducted in a free and fair manner.

The Parliamentary Committee on Health and Family Welfare had summoned the secretaries of the health and education ministries over the conduct of the NEET-UG re-examination.

ALSO READ: NEET UG Re-Exam 2026 Admit Card Out At neet.nta.nic.in; Exam To Be Conducted On June 21

Top officials of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the National Medical Commission (NMC)were also summoned by the parliamentary panel. Panel members asked the officials to adopt a foolproof system so as to ensure fair medical entrance examination. They noted that similar exams are conducted in countries such as China and the US without paper leaks or malpractices.

The members urged officials to learn from global best practices and adopt systems that make examinations foolproof. They also called for better coordination between the NMC and the NTA, while stressing the need to boost the morale of the testing agency.