Telegram CEO Pavel Durov on Tuesday criticised the Indian government’s temporary restriction on the messaging platform ahead of the rescheduled NEET-UG examination, arguing that the move unfairly impacts millions of ordinary users. His remarks came after the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) raised concerns over the legal basis and effectiveness of the action taken against Telegram. Reacting to an IFF press release on X, Durov claimed the restriction would not solve the issue it was intended to address. “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,” he wrote.
Rights group questions legal basis of government’s action
The National Testing Agency (NTA) is set to conduct the rescheduled NEET-UG examination on June 21. Ahead of the test, the Internet Freedom Foundation objected to the directions announced by the NTA regarding Telegram.
According to the IFF release, “On the NTA’s recommendation, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has, under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, restricted access to the whole of Telegram in India until 22 June 2026, and has separately ordered the platform to switch off message-editing for every Indian user until 30 June 2026…”
The organisation argued that Section 69A and the Blocking Rules of 2009 allow authorities to block specific information rather than an entire platform. “They do not extend to switching off an entire intermediary, still less to ordering a company to redesign its product by removing a feature for a whole country…For the message-editing direction the release identifies no source of power at all. If one exists, the order must say so,” the statement said.
Foundation says students and regular users are being affected
The IFF further described the restriction as ineffective and misdirected. “The block of telegram is reactive and ineffective and will punish ordinary users instead of addressing the systemic source of exam leaks,” it said.
The organisation also pointed to the timing of the restriction, saying, “This blocking comes in the final days of NEET preparation, when thousands of students depend on Telegram for study groups, doubt-clearing, and shared resources. Also, it is important to consider that the source of exam papers leak will occur from inside the system…”
The release alleged that “switching off Telegram, is merely a deflection from the repeated failures that will continue while media attention is directed towards this Telegram ban”. It urged the government to publish the MeitY order issued under Section 69A and the NTA recommendation behind it, disclose the legal basis for disabling message editing or withdraw the direction, clarify whether Telegram was granted a hearing under the Blocking Rules, and lift the platform-wide restriction.
(Via agency inputs)
Also Read: Why OSM Whistleblower Sarthak Sidhant Called NTA ‘Incompetent’ Over Telegram Ban
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
