The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is executing a phased restoration of Telegram in India after a temporary block expired on June 22.
The Delhi High Court upheld the six-day block, ruling it necessary to protect millions of NEET-UG candidates from fraudulent paper leak channels.
National Testing Agency Director General Abhishek Singh stated that final attendance figures for the June 21 re-examination are being compiled from 5,454 centres.
Telegram Remains Partially Blocked, Some Users Unable to Send Messages Post-Ban Expiry
The government issued an interim order on June 16 under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act
Summary
Telegram remains partially blocked for some Indian users on June 23, past the scheduled June 22 expiry date. The block was implemented to prevent irregularities ahead of the June 21 National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) re-examination.
The government issued an interim order on June 16 under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. The directive ordered the messaging application blocked until June 22 and mandated the platform disable its message-editing feature until June 30.
An IT official said there are no plans to extend the ban, indicating a phased restoration rollout is underway, The Hindustan Times reported.
Legal Backing for Block
The secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology passed a final order on June 18 confirming the block, following a hearing before a Rule 7 committee on June 17. The Delhi High Court on June 19 upheld the government's decision to block Telegram for six days.
The court ruled there were sufficient reasons to protect the interests of millions of students. Government officials argued that Telegram channels, including "Private Mafia" and "PAPER LEAKED NEET", sold fake exam papers for up to ₹10 lakh.
The government also argued that the application played a big role in spreading misinformation. Administrators exploited Telegram's message-editing feature to alter content without updating timestamps to fabricate post-exam leak proof. Authorities ordered the outright block because channel-by-channel takedowns failed as removed groups rapidly resurfaced through mirror channels.
CBI Probes Leak
The original NEET-UG examination held on May 3 was cancelled on May 12 after overlaps emerged between a leaked guess paper and the actual test, triggering a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.
The CBI probe is active with 13 total arrests currently in judicial custody. This includes Manoj Shirure and Tejas Harshadkumar Shah, who were arrested on May 27, The Hindu reported.
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A Delhi court on June 15 permitted the CBI to conduct in-jail questioning of three prime conspirators between June 17 and June 19. Investigators interrogated Manisha Sanjay Waghmare, Dhanunjay Nivrutti Lokhande, and Shubham Madhukar Khairnar.
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