The central government’s decision to impose a temporary ban on the Telegram messaging platform ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination has triggered a sharp debate on social media. The restrictions, which remain in effect until June 22, are part of broader efforts to ensure a fair and malpractice-free conduct of the medical entrance test. Additionally, Telegram has been directed to disable its message-editing feature for already-posted messages until June 30.
Critics have questioned the effectiveness of the measure, while supporters argue it is necessary to prevent the spread of misinformation and fake paper-leak claims. Among the critics is Nisarga Adhikary, a self-described ethical hacker who previously highlighted alleged security vulnerabilities in the CBSE’s on-screen marking (OSM) system. Reacting to a post by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on X, Adhikary argued that restricting Telegram would not effectively stop paper leaks, as users could easily bypass such measures through proxies and other circumvention tools. “Can’t stop paper leaks, ends up blocking Telegram. Blocking Telegram totally isn’t even possible,” he wrote, adding that the platform’s architecture allows users to find alternative ways to access it.
Defending the government’s decision, IIT Kanpur Director Manindra Agrawal said the primary concern was not merely the circulation of leaked examination papers but the spread of fabricated leak claims that appear genuine and create panic among candidates. According to Agrawal, a similar situation had occurred during the JEE Advanced examination, where false claims regarding paper leaks were circulated online, causing confusion among students. “The problem with Telegram channels is not sharing leaked papers alone. There are many ways to do that. The concern is that fake leak claims can be made to appear authentic, creating unnecessary confusion among candidates,” he wrote on X.
Another critic, 18-year-old student activist Sarthak Siddhant, questioned the rationale behind singling out Telegram. Siddhant had previously gained attention during the controversy surrounding CBSE’s OSM system and had raised concerns over the tendering process for selecting a vendor for the Class 12 evaluation exercise. In a series of posts, Siddhant argued that misinformation exists across multiple communication platforms and asked why Telegram alone was being targeted. He questioned whether other platforms, including WhatsApp and X, should also face similar restrictions if misinformation was the underlying concern.
Responding to these arguments, Agrawal pointed to what he described as a unique feature of Telegram. Unlike many other social media platforms, he claimed, Telegram allows users to edit previously posted messages without clearly indicating that changes have been made. Such a feature, he argued, could enable individuals to create fake leak narratives after the fact without leaving visible evidence of edits. “One can still argue that banning is not a good idea. But the context of the ban needs to be understood,” Agrawal said.
NTA Director General Abhishek Singh defended the restrictions, saying they were part of a broader strategy to eliminate malpractice and maintain the integrity of the examination process. “We will not let anything go wrong. We will take all possible actions to ensure that the examination is conducted without any malpractice,” Singh said.
