The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Tuesday blocked the Telegram app and ordered the company to disable the message editing feature – two directions issued on the recommendation of the National Testing Agency (NTA) ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination on June 21.
The move targets organized fraud operations operating on the app. The editorial restriction addresses a design vulnerability that NTA said channel officials exploited to fabricate evidence of the paper leak. This involved uploading a blank document before the exam and replacing it with the actual question paper afterwards, while Telegram’s architecture kept the original timestamp before the exam, they said.
Critics and Telegram have argued that the blanket ban punishes millions of ordinary users who have no connection to exam fraud.
Action against Telegram worldwide
Telegram has faced many controversies with governments around the world. The platform is headquartered in Dubai and operates through a network of companies across multiple jurisdictions, making it difficult to fulfill cross-border data requests.
France: French authorities arrested Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov in 2024 over allegations that the platform’s refusal to cooperate with judicial orders had enabled organized crime networks, drug trafficking and the distribution of child sexual abuse material. Durov was later released on bail.
Brazil and Russia: The two countries previously blocked Telegram for failing to comply with court orders, including demanding data on extremist groups and, in Russia’s case, encryption keys for government intelligence services.
UK: Regulators are investigating Telegram under the Online Safety Act over its alleged failure to remove illegal content from the app.
Read also: How NEET exam was leaked: ‘2 sets of question papers’, 3 masterminds and a 5-state network
What makes Telegram different?
Law enforcement agencies differentiate Telegram from messaging apps like WhatsApp or Signal on the basis of features that operate less like private messaging and more like unmoderated group broadcasting. These include:
Universal reach: Telegram channels can have an unlimited number of subscribers and “supergroups” can host up to 200,000 members, allowing content to reach large audiences instantly.
Built-in search: Unlike closed messaging apps that require an invite link or phone number to join a conversation, Telegram has a universal search function. Anyone searching for keywords can find public channels operating under names like “PAPER LEAKED NEET” or “Private Mafia.”
Fixed timestamp: When a message is edited, Telegram updates the content but keeps the original timestamp since the message was created. The app does not provide any edit history visible to readers.
Read also: Delhi court allows NEET leak accused to take retest: ‘Right to education is fundamental’
“Time Travel” Leak Scam.
Technical demonstrations — including one highlighted by IIT Madras director V. Kamakoti in a video released by NTA on Tuesday — showed how scammers are exploiting the system.
1. Set the trap
The channel administrator creates a public Telegram channel and attaches a discussion group – a message board on which subscribers can comment. When an admin posts a document in the main channel, the Telegram backend automatically reflects an identical copy in the associated discussion group.
2. Planting the seed
Days before the test, the administrator uploads a blank or dummy PDF file to the channel. The post records a timestamp — for example, June 18 at 10 a.m. — and the same post is mirrored in the discussion group.
3. Swap silent files
After the exam, once the question paper becomes public, the administrator edits the original post, replacing the dummy PDF file with the actual question paper.
In the main channel, Telegram adds the label “Modified” next to the original timestamp. The file is updated in the discussion group as well, but the platform doesn’t have the “Modified” tag there.
4. Implementation
The scammers then lock the group’s comments and direct users to view the discussion group.
For the student or parent, the document is placed in the chat and timestamped before the test, with no indication that it has been changed. This creates the illusion of a paper leak before the exam, allowing fraudsters to extract money from families and candidates under the guise of insider access.
