Pavel Durov criticised India’s temporary Telegram ban (Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons)
NEW DELHI: Telegram CEO and founder Pavel Durov has strongly criticised the Indian government’s decision to impose a temporary nationwide ban on the messaging app, calling it a case of collective punishment that targets millions of regular users rather than those responsible for leaking examination materials.
In a pointed statement shared on X, Durov argued that the restriction fails to address the core issue while disrupting legitimate communication for a massive user base.
Durov wrote: “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.”
His remarks highlight what he sees as the ineffectiveness and unfairness of broad platform-level actions in tackling organised cheating networks.
Over the past few weeks, we removed hundreds of channels sharing leaked exam materials and related scams in India. We’re also making the “edited” label more visible to prevent backdating scams.
Telegram is a force for good. Banning it even temporarily is a mistake, he said in a subsequent tweet.
Durov’s criticism has amplified concerns raised by digital rights groups regarding the proportionality of blocking an entire platform.
With over 150 million active users in India, Telegram is one of the platform’s largest markets, widely used for personal messaging, business, education, news, and community coordination.
Why has the ban been imposed?
The temporary ban comes ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21. The government and the National Testing Agency (NTA) acted after discovering numerous Telegram channels actively circulating purported leaked question papers and charging aspirants hefty sums for access. Channels with names such as “PAPER LEAKED NEET” and “Re-NEET 2026” were reportedly involved in these fraudulent activities.
The restrictions, enforced from June 16 until midnight on June 22, were issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act following recommendations from the NTA on the recommendation of the National Testing Agency (NTA).
In addition, Telegram has been directed to disable its message-editing feature for Indian users until June 30. Google has already removed the app from the Play Store in India.
This action follows the cancellation of the original NEET-UG exam last month after serious leak allegations surfaced, which led to widespread student protests and a major loss of trust in the examination process.
Authorities maintain that the short-term block is a necessary measure to protect the integrity of the re-examination for over two million genuine aspirants.
The NTA has repeatedly stated that no authentic question papers are circulating outside official channels and has described the leak offers as scams run by cheating rackets.
Heightened security protocols, including biometric checks and AI surveillance, are being implemented for the upcoming test.
The Internet Freedom Foundation has also raised concerns about the legal basis and scope of the ban under existing IT rules. Reports indicate that some leak-related activities have already shifted to alternative messaging platforms.
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