Synopsis
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov criticised India's temporary ban on the messaging app, stating it punishes millions of users instead of those leaking exam materials. The restrictions, imposed by the NTA ahead of a re-examination, aim to curb misinformation but Durov argues they are ineffective as leaks simply move to other platforms.Listen to this article in summarized format
“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 in a post on X on Tuesday.
The remarks come after the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced temporary restrictions on Telegram in India until June 22 and directed the platform to disable message editing until June 30. The measures were introduced ahead of the NEET UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21.
Per the NTA, cheating networks had been using Telegram to circulate fake claims of a NEET paper leak and fabricate evidence intended to mislead candidates and trigger public confusion. The agency said the restrictions are aimed at preventing the spread of misinformation, protecting the integrity of the examination process, and maintaining public order.
The NTA reiterated that no exam paper exists outside the secured examination chain and urged students and parents to rely only on official communications regarding the examination. It also advised the public to report fraud, impersonation, or misinformation through the national cybercrime portal and helpline.
Durov contended that blocking Telegram is an ineffective response because those seeking to share leaked material can easily move to other platforms. He defended the platform, noting that it had already removed hundreds of channels linked to leaked exam material and related scams in India in recent weeks. He also highlighted platform changes aimed at making edited messages more clearly identifiable, to reduce fraud.
Scammers are accused of editing old text messages to paste questions from recent examinations that had already been completed. Doing so, it is alleged, made it seem like they had prior access to leaked question papers, when that was not actually the case.
Separately, the platform also took to X, echoing Durov’s comments, to challenge the government's action on the messaging service. Telegram's official account mocked the temporary ban in response to comments from Indian National Congress (INC) MP Karti Chidambaram. The platform compared the ban to shutting shopping malls because thefts occur inside them or closing roads because some people exceed speed limits.
Durov claimed the issue had also affected users in other countries, including the UAE, and suggested the disruptions appeared deliberate.
The Telegram founder further alleged that competitive interests may be influencing efforts against Telegram, pointing to telecom operator Reliance Jio's links with Meta Platforms, the parent company of WhatsApp.
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) route hijacking is when malicious actors falsely announce ownership of IP addresses, rerouting Internet traffic, which then is capable of causing massive global outages and facilitating severe cyberattacks.
In 2020, Reliance Industries’ Jio Platforms raised more than $20.5 billion from 13 global investors, selling about 33% of the company at valuations ranging from $57 billion to $65 billion. The investor roster included Meta, Google, KKR, General Atlantic, Silver Lake and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. Meta currently holds a 9.9% stake in the company, while Google parent Alphabet owns 7.7%.
( Originally published on Jun 16, 2026 )
