(Image source from: India.com)
The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Monday expressed support for the government's choice to limit access to Telegram in India temporarily, seeing this action as an important measure to reduce cheating and false information related to the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination set for June 21. In a statement, the NTA mentioned that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), following the agency's advice, has called for temporary restrictions on using Telegram in India until June 22. Additionally, the government has told the platform to turn off the message-editing feature in India until June 30. The NTA explained that these actions are intended to stop organized cheating groups from misusing the platform to spread false claims about question paper leaks and to trick students taking the medical entrance exam.
The agency noted that the message-editing function on Telegram had reportedly been used to fabricate fake evidence of "paper leaks" after tests. According to the NTA, channel managers could change old posts and swap out attachments with test papers after the exam was finished, while keeping the initial time stamp. These edited posts were then shared as evidence that exam papers had been leaked beforehand. Officials indicated that turning off this feature temporarily would assist in preventing the creation and distribution of such false evidence during the period after exams. The NTA acknowledged the role of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs for leading the efforts against fraud and misinformation related to Telegram. The agency also stated that many Telegram channels, groups, and bots that were promoting false claims about NEET question papers had already been removed.
The release also pointed out recent actions taken by state authorities. The Bihar Police has put out a warning for students about scams related to fake access to exam papers. At the same time, the Cyber Crime Branch in Ahmedabad has arrested people from a gang that was involved in cyber fraud across state lines and reportedly running several Telegram channels. Investigators stated that this gang processed transactions totaling around Rs 1.5 crore and reached out to almost 1,000 mobile numbers in just one month. The NTA repeated that no NEET question papers are available outside the official examination system and cautioned students against believing information shared on social media and messaging apps. Various Telegram channels were said to have asked for payments ranging from a few thousand to several lakhs of rupees for supposed access to re-examination papers. The agency labeled all these offers as scams.
Recognizing the trouble caused to honest users, the NTA mentioned that the restrictions on access will only be in place during the days leading up to the exam and will be lifted on June 22. The agency noted that the temporary halt of the message-editing function would not hinder users from sending or receiving new messages. The NTA emphasized that the NEET-UG 2026 re-exam will take place as planned on June 21 and reassured students that the safety and integrity of the exam are secure. Candidates were encouraged to trust only official communications from the NTA and to check the agency's website for any updates regarding the exam. They were also told to report any scams to cybercrime authorities right away.
