The National Testing Agency (NTA) has issued a formal statement thanking the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for its timely and calibrated action to temporarily restrict access to Telegram in India and disable certain platform features ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination. The measures, taken under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, were implemented to counter organized cheating rackets that allegedly used Telegram channels to defraud candidates with false promises of exam paper access.
Details of the Restrictions
The restrictions are time-bound, with platform access blocked until June 22, 2026, and Telegram's message-editing feature disabled in India until June 30, 2026. The NTA expressed gratitude for these actions, which it said would help ensure a safe and secure examination on June 21, 2026.
In its statement, the NTA noted that the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, played a key role in coordinating the operational response. Acting on inputs from the NTA, state law enforcement agencies, and its own monitoring, I4C secured the takedown of numerous Telegram channels, groups, and bots that openly advertised fraudulent purposes.
Why These Measures Were Necessary
The NTA explained that channels with names like "PAPER LEAKED NEET" and "Re-NEET 2026" demanded sums ranging from a few thousand to several lakhs of rupees from candidates, promising access to the re-examination paper. The NTA reiterated that no such paper exists outside the secured examination chain and that any such promise is fraudulent.
The direction to disable the message-editing feature addresses a separate concern: channel administrators could edit previously posted messages to insert question papers after the exam, creating false evidence of a leak. The MeitY directive closes this avenue for fabrication during the post-examination window.
State Law Enforcement Actions
Independent actions by state police forces reinforced the seriousness of the issue. The Bihar Police Economic Offences Unit issued a public advisory on June 9, 2026, warning against fraudulent claims. The Ahmedabad City Cyber Crime Branch arrested members of an inter-state cyber-fraud gang operating eight Telegram channels, with documented transactions of approximately ₹1.5 crore and around 1,000 mobile numbers contacted in a single month.
Impact on Legitimate Users
The NTA acknowledged that the access restriction affects lakhs of citizens who use Telegram for legitimate purposes and expressed regret for the inconvenience. However, it emphasized that the restriction is limited to the period ending June 22, 2026, and the feature-specific direction for message-editing does not affect ordinary use for sending or receiving new messages.
Reassurance for Candidates
The NEET-UG 2026 re-examination will proceed as scheduled on June 21, 2026. The NTA assured candidates and parents of its commitment to a fair, secure, and credible examination. Candidates are urged to focus on preparation, disregard unverified content, and rely exclusively on the NTA website and verified handles for updates.
Any encounter with fraudulent solicitations should be reported to the National Cyber-Crime Helpline at 1930 or through the National Cyber-Crime Reporting Portal. NTA helplines are also available at 011-40759000 / 011-69227700 and neetug@nta.ac.in.
The NTA concluded by expressing appreciation for the coordinated efforts of MeitY, the Ministry of Home Affairs, I4C, the Central Bureau of Investigation, and state police forces in protecting the integrity of the examination.
