Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has strongly criticised India's temporary restriction on the messaging platform ahead of the NEET-UG re-test, arguing that the move punishes millions of ordinary users while failing to stop the spread of leaked exam papers.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Durov reacted to the government's decision to block Telegram for a week after allegations that leaked examination questions had been circulated on the platform. He claimed the restriction targeted users rather than those responsible for the leaks and had done little to address the problem.
"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 wrote.
Government Action and Legal Challenge
His comments came after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), acting on a recommendation from the National Testing Agency (NTA), restricted access to Telegram in India until June 22. The NTA is scheduled to conduct the rescheduled NEET-UG examination on June 21. Durov's remarks were made in response to a statement by the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), which challenged both the platform-wide restriction and a separate order requiring Telegram to disable message-editing for Indian users until June 30.
According to the IFF, Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, allows the government to block specific information online but does not permit authorities to shut down an entire intermediary platform. The organisation also questioned the legal basis for directing Telegram to alter a core feature of its service.
Repercussions for Ordinary Users
The foundation described the restriction as "reactive and ineffective", arguing that it would inconvenience ordinary users rather than those involved in leaking examination materials. It said thousands of students rely on Telegram for study groups, doubt-clearing sessions and sharing educational resources in the final days before major examinations.
The IFF further argued that exam paper leaks originate from within the examination system itself and that blocking Telegram would not address that underlying issue. It urged the government to publish the MeitY order and the NTA recommendation behind the restriction, explain the legal basis for the message-editing directive and lift the platform-wide ban.
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