India's government has suspended Telegram over concerns the social media platform had been used to defraud and mislead candidates taking a national medical entrance examination after alleged leaks of a test paper.
The messaging platform has been banned until June 22, the day after millions of aspiring doctors sit the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Neet) for medical colleges.
The Indian government cancelled Neet in May after authorities said exam questions had been leaked. The move sparked protests by students and demands that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan step down.
The Ministry of Education's National Testing Agency said the suspension of Telegram was made “in response to the organised use of the platform by cheating rackets to defraud candidates appearing for the Neet 2026 re-examination scheduled on 21 June 2026”. Telegram has not commented on India's decision.
The government invoked a provision of the Information Technology Act for the decision. Activists have argued that the provision is used to curb free speech, though the government insists it complies with the law and acts in the public interest.
The directive also requires Telegram to “disable, in India, the message-editing feature in respect of messages already posted, for a defined period ending 30 June 2026”, the National Testing Agency said.
This is aimed at “addressing the specific structural feature through which the platform has been used to fabricate after-the-event 'paper leak' evidence in respect of national examinations”.
Authorities said they regretted the inconvenience caused by the move, which was a “last resort” after previous action failed to remove such content from the platform.
Shortly after the announcement, separate sources said Google and Apple had received orders from the Indian government to delist Telegram from their respective Google Play and App Store marketplaces, Reuters reported. It is unclear whether India will extend the ban beyond June 22.
Telegram has more than one billion users, making it the world's eighth-biggest social media platform.
It is one of the fastest-growing social media and messaging platforms in India, a country with about 1.47 billion people and one of the largest mobile phone user bases in the world. Meta Platforms' WhatsApp remains the top app among users.
