Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Jun 23: Telegram messaging services have been restored in India after temporary restrictions imposed over concerns related to the NEET-UG re-examination were lifted on Tuesday.

The Telegram application is now available for installation through app stores. However, the editing feature on the platform will remain disabled until June 30.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had blocked Telegram services across India until June 22 as a precautionary step ahead of the NEET re-examination.

The restrictions were imposed after allegations that Telegram had failed to prevent the circulation of fake question papers linked to the examination, along with misleading information and fraudulent activities.

Before the action was taken, government officials had met Telegram representatives on June 3 and raised concerns over the alleged misuse of the platform. Following the discussions, the Centre decided to block the app and related web links, including its web version, until June 22.

The NEET re-examination was conducted on June 21, and no cases of fraudulent activity have been reported so far.

Earlier, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov criticised the government’s decision, stating that the restriction affected more than 150 million genuine users in India instead of targeting those responsible for leaking examination materials.

Durov said such restrictions would not effectively stop the spread of leaked content and could push such activities to other platforms.

He also alleged that Reliance, referring to Reliance Jio, may have lobbied alongside WhatsApp to influence the decision to restrict Telegram in India.

Reliance Jio rejected the allegations, stating that it operates its network according to global standards of reliability, security and transparency.

In a statement on X, Jio said it had no role in any alleged BGP route misconfiguration and categorically denied involvement in the matter.