PANews reported on June 16 that Telegram founder Pavel Durov posted on his channel that the Indian Ministry of Information Technology has imposed a one-week ban on Telegram due to some users distributing leaked exam questions. Telegram believes this move affected approximately 150 million ordinary users in India but failed to truly punish those who leaked the questions or those with inside information. Telegram stated that the ban did not solve the problem; the content simply moved to other application platforms. The company emphasized that although the source of the leak was not Telegram, it has actively cooperated with the cleanup efforts over the past few weeks, removing hundreds of channels that were distributing leaked exam questions and related scams.

In addition, Telegram stated that it has recently increased the visibility of "edited" tags to prevent retroactive fraud by modifying post timestamps and other methods. Telegram concluded by saying that the platform has always been a "force for good," believing that even temporary bans are wrong decisions, and calling on regulators to take more targeted enforcement measures rather than impacting law-abiding users.

The Indian government has reportedly temporarily banned Telegram until June 22 to prevent scam groups from spreading leaked questions and fake answers for the NEET UG 2026 re-examination (held on June 21). This move stems from the massive leak scandal surrounding the NEET exam in May, after which the NTA (National Testing Authority) ordered a ban on messaging functions until June 30. ISPs nationwide have already implemented the blockade, and it is expected to be reinstated after the re-examination.