Telegram challenges India restriction imposed over fake NEET-UG leak rumors
Telegram is challenging a temporary restriction on its messaging platform in India, put in place just before the NEET-UG 2026 re-exam on June 21.
The government said the move was to stop fake paper leak rumors and exam scams and even forced Telegram to turn off its message-editing feature for Indian users.
Telegram says restriction punishes 150 million+ Indians
Telegram didn't hold back: on X (formerly Twitter), it joked, "You should also shut down all the shopping malls since there might be a theft in one of them," poking fun at the temporary restriction on the messaging platform.
On X (formerly Twitter), the post got Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram questioning if these bans actually work.
Telegram also pointed out it blocked 109,351 terrorist-related communities in 2026 and argued that this punishes 150 million+ ordinary Telegram users in India, not the insiders who leaked the exam materials.