NEW DELHI, June 16:The Centre has imposed temporary restrictions on access to Telegram across India ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21. The move is aimed at curbing the spread of fake question papers, misleading information and alleged examination-related fraud.
The restrictions came into effect on Tuesday and will remain in force until June 22. In addition, the government has directed the messaging platform to disable its message-editing feature until June 30, acting on recommendations made by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
The decision comes as authorities step up efforts to ensure the credibility and fairness of the medical entrance examination process following the controversy surrounding NEET-UG.
Officials said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued the directives after the NTA expressed concerns that removing individual Telegram channels was not enough to counter organised groups allegedly trying to exploit students through false claims of paper leaks and exam manipulation.
Welcoming the move, the NTA said the temporary measures are intended to protect candidates from online fraud and misinformation in the run-up to the re-examination.
According to the agency, several Telegram channels operating under names such as “PAPER LEAKED NEET”, “Re-NEET 2026” and “Private Mafia” were allegedly demanding payments ranging from a few thousand rupees to several lakh rupees from candidates and their families, promising access to examination papers.
Officials said the restrictions are part of a broader strategy to prevent malpractice, stop the spread of misleading content and ensure a fair and transparent examination process for lakhs of students appearing in the re-test.
The NEET-UG 2026 re-examination will be held on June 21 at designated centres across the country under enhanced security and monitoring arrangements.
