New Delhi: In a significant move aimed at safeguarding the integrity of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, the Central government has ordered a temporary restriction on access to messaging platform Telegram across India until June 22. The decision comes just days before the re-exam, scheduled for June 21, and is intended to curb the spread of alleged paper leak scams and cheating networks operating through the platform.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued the directive under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. The restriction covers the examination day and the immediate period afterward. In addition, Telegram has been instructed to disable its message-editing feature in India until June 30. According to the National Testing Agency (NTA), the feature was being exploited by fraudsters who edited older messages to insert examination questions and falsely present them as evidence of a prior leak.
Welcoming the government’s intervention, the NTA described the measures as “calibrated and bounded in time” and thanked MeitY for acting in the interest of students. The agency emphasized that the restrictions are preventive in nature and are intended to protect the credibility of one of the country’s largest entrance examinations.
In recent weeks, several Telegram channels allegedly claimed to possess the NEET-UG question paper and demanded payments ranging from a few thousand rupees to several lakh rupees from students and parents. Channel names such as “PAPER LEAKED NEET,” “Re-NEET 2026,” and “Private Mafia” reportedly circulated misleading claims. The NTA categorically denied the existence of any leaked paper outside the secure examination process, warning candidates that such offers are fraudulent.
Law enforcement agencies have also intensified their crackdown on examination-related scams. Ahmedabad City Cyber Crime recently dismantled an inter-state network that operated eight Telegram channels linked to paper leak claims. Investigators found that approximately ₹1.5 crore had been routed through fake accounts, while nearly 1,000 phone numbers had been contacted within a month.
The move follows earlier warnings from Bihar Police’s Economic Offences Unit and coordinated efforts by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to remove suspicious channels and content.
While acknowledging the inconvenience caused to millions of legitimate Telegram users, the NTA expressed regret and assured the public that the restriction is temporary. The agency reiterated that the security of the examination remains its top priority.
The original NEET-UG examination held on May 3 was cancelled on May 12 following a confirmed paper leak. More than 22 lakh candidates are now expected to appear for the re-examination. Students have been advised to rely only on official information and report any suspected fraud through the national cybercrime helpline, 1930.
