Jammu Tawi, Jun 16: In a significant move to protect the integrity of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, the Government of India has imposed temporary restrictions on the Telegram messaging platform following recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Department of Higher Education.
The NEET-UG 2026 re-examination is scheduled for June 21. As part of the restrictions, access to Telegram in India will remain blocked until June 22, while the platform’s message-editing feature has been disabled until June 30.
According to the NTA, the measures are aimed at preventing the spread of misinformation and fraudulent claims related to examination paper leaks. The agency noted that several Telegram channels and groups had been advertising alleged access to NEET question papers and demanding money from students and their families.
These channels, operating under names such as “Paper Leaked NEET,” “Re-NEET 2026,” and “Private Mafia,” allegedly collected payments ranging from a few thousand rupees to several lakh rupees by falsely promising confidential examination material.
The NTA reiterated that no examination paper exists outside the secure examination process and termed all such claims fraudulent. It warned students against falling victim to scams designed to exploit their anxiety ahead of the examination.
The agency also expressed concern over Telegram’s message-editing feature, which authorities claim has been misused in previous examinations. Investigators found instances where administrators allegedly inserted actual question papers into older posts after examinations had concluded and then circulated screenshots showing earlier timestamps to falsely suggest a paper leak.
Officials said disabling the editing feature during the sensitive examination period would help prevent such manipulation and curb the creation of fabricated evidence.
The NTA credited the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs for leading efforts against online examination fraud. Acting on intelligence inputs from the NTA, state police and cyber monitoring systems, I4C coordinated the removal of several Telegram channels, groups and bots allegedly involved in examination-related scams.
The statement also highlighted enforcement actions by state agencies. The Bihar Police Economic Offences Unit issued advisories against fake paper leak claims, while Ahmedabad Police reportedly dismantled an inter-state cyber fraud network linked to multiple Telegram channels involved in examination scams.
Acknowledging the inconvenience caused to genuine users, the NTA clarified that the restrictions are temporary and limited to the examination period. The agency assured candidates and parents that the security of the NEET-UG re-examination remains intact and urged students to rely only on official information channels while reporting suspicious claims through the National Cyber Crime Helpline or reporting portal.
