India has temporarily blocked messaging app Telegram, alleging it was used in an attempt to cheat candidates for a national medical entrance exam. The test had already been the target of accusations of question leaks last month, which led to the cancellation of millions of results. The ban, unprecedented in the country, was adopted “in response to the organized use of the platform by fraud networks to deceive candidates who will participate in the reapplication of the National Eligibility and Entrance Examination (NEET) 2026, scheduled for June 21, 2026”, the National Testing Agency of the Ministry of Education of India reported on Tuesday. The measure will remain in force until June 22. Last month, the Indian government canceled the entrance exam for medical courses after authorities said they were investigating reports of question paper leaks. According to the government, channels hosted on the platform — whose names were not disclosed — announced the sale of early access to the test content. After the suspected leak and the cancellation of the results of 2.3 million students, protests took place in several regions of India. Among them, demonstrations led by the viral People's Cockroach Janta Party, which demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Indian law allows blocking of websites and applications The restriction on Telegram was determined based on a provision in India's information technology legislation that allows the government to block access to websites and online platforms in defense of “India's sovereignty and integrity”. A digital rights group said the measure represents a violation of freedom of expression and will not solve the problem. “Shutting down Telegram is a stopgap solution and a disproportionate response to exam cheating,” stated the Internet Freedom Foundation. The organization further stated that the measure “will punish ordinary users instead of attacking the systemic origin of evidence leaks”. In a statement released this Tuesday, the government regretted the inconvenience caused and stated that the suspension was adopted as a “last resort”, after previous attempts to remove this type of content from the platform had not been effective. Telegram did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Until 8:30 am GMT (5:30 am in Brasília) this Tuesday, the application continued to work in India. Operators Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea also did not immediately respond to queries regarding the receipt and implementation of the blocking order. According to sources with direct knowledge of the matter, Alphabet, Google's parent company, and Apple have received orders from the government to temporarily remove Telegram from their app stores and must comply with the order.