India — National Testing Agency & Telegram

India — National Testing Agency: The India — National Testing Agency recommended the restrictions on Telegram to prevent cheating and misinformation related to the NEET-UG re-examination, welcoming the government's actions as necessary to ensure exam integrity.

Telegram: Telegram has been temporarily blocked in India, removed from app stores, and its message-editing feature disabled, impacting its user base and operations in a major market. Its founder, Pavel Durov, criticized the ban as ineffective and unfair to millions of legitimate users.

India — National Testing Agency: The India — National Testing Agency (NTA) is the primary body responsible for conducting the NEET-UG examination. It faces significant scrutiny and criticism due to alleged paper leaks and irregularities, leading to the cancellation of the initial exam and the implementation of stringent security measures for the re-examination. The NTA is working to restore public trust and ensure a fair testing process.

Telegram: Telegram has been temporarily restricted in India by the India — Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology due to its use by organized cheating rackets to fabricate 'paper leak' evidence and spread misinformation related to national examinations, including NEET-UG.

India — National Testing Agency: The India — National Testing Agency is the body responsible for administering the NEET-UG 2026 exam, which was cancelled due to the paper leak, leading to questions about its integrity and processes.

Telegram: Telegram is specifically highlighted as a platform where misinformation and fake paper leak claims are rampant. The India — Ministry of Education (India) has directed a focused crackdown on suspicious Telegram channels to protect the integrity of the examination system.

India — National Testing Agency: The India — National Testing Agency recommended the temporary suspension of Telegram services in India to prevent malpractice during the NEET-UG re-examination.

Telegram: Telegram's CEO, Pavel Durov, alleges that Reliance Group and Meta Platforms — WhatsApp lobbied for a ban on its app in India and sabotaged its access. The app has been temporarily delisted from app stores in India and its message-editing feature disabled, impacting over 150 million users.

India — National Testing Agency: The India — National Testing Agency recommended a temporary ban on Telegram in India due to alleged circulation of leaked NEET exam papers, which indirectly triggered Pavel Durov's broader allegations.

Telegram: Telegram was allegedly used to circulate 'guess papers' that matched questions from the actual NEET-UG 2026 exam paper.