New Delhi: Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has strongly criticised the Indian government’s temporary restriction on the messaging platform ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, arguing that the move has failed to stop the spread of leaked exam material and has instead inconvenienced millions of ordinary users.
The Centre restricted access to Telegram until June 22 following recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA), which alleged that organised cheating networks were using the platform to circulate leaked question papers, answer keys and misleading information related to the medical entrance examination. The NEET re-test is scheduled for June 21.
Reacting to the decision, Durov said the restriction was unfair because it affected more than 150 million users in India, Telegram’s largest market. In a post on X, he wrote: “India’s IT ministry banned Telegram for one week because some users shared leaked exam questions. This punishes 150M+ ordinary Telegram users in India — not the insiders who leaked the exam materials. And the ban hasn’t stopped anything. The leaks just moved to other apps.”
Durov argued that those responsible for leaking exam materials remained unaffected while ordinary users bore the consequences. He also claimed that the restriction had not solved the problem, saying the leaked content had simply shifted to other applications.
The Telegram founder further stated that the company had proactively removed hundreds of channels linked to exam scams and leaked materials in recent weeks. He added that Telegram was introducing measures to make edited messages more visible in an effort to prevent manipulation and backdating of content.
Meanwhile, Telegram has moved the Delhi High Court challenging the government’s order. The company argues that the temporary ban violates users’ rights and disproportionately penalises millions of people for the actions of a small number of bad actors. The Centre, however, has defended its decision, telling the court that Telegram was being misused by organised cheating networks and that the restrictions were necessary to protect the integrity of the examination process.
The controversy has sparked a wider debate over how governments should tackle exam fraud in the digital age. While authorities maintain that the restrictions are essential to prevent malpractice, critics argue that stronger enforcement against leak networks—not blanket platform restrictions—may be a more effective long-term solution.
