Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has escalated his criticism of the Indian government's decision to temporarily block the messaging platform, now alleging that Reliance Group and WhatsApp may have lobbied to impose the ban in India. In a social media post on X, Durov stated that 'Indian telecom Reliance is sabotaging access to Telegram for millions of users OUTSIDE India (including the UAE) via a rogue method called BGP hijacking. The sabotage seems intentional, as Reliance has ignored multiple reports. This may be part of a competitive war, as Reliance is partially owned by Meta, the company behind WhatsApp.' According to PTI, Durov has also accused Reliance of interfering with Telegram's internet connectivity, alleging that the telecom company is disrupting access to the messaging platform for users in several countries outside India using Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) hijacking. However, a senior telecom industry source termed the allegations as 'fake news', stating that Durov has confused Reliance Communications with Reliance Industries Ltd.
Telegram has approached the Delhi High Court challenging the Centre's decision to temporarily block access to the messaging platform in India ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination. The plea was mentioned on an urgent basis before a vacation bench of Justice Tejas Karia by advocate Madhav Khosla, which agreed to hear the matter today. The challenge comes after the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced that access to Telegram would remain restricted in India until June 22, covering the June 21 NEET-UG re-examination and its immediate aftermath. According to ANI, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued directions to temporarily ban Telegram based on the recommendations of NTA, with the editing option on the app disabled till June 30. The NTA had also directed Telegram to disable its message-editing feature for already-posted messages in India until June 30.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) said the measures were aimed at tackling the organised use of Telegram by cheating rackets and misinformation networks ahead of the medical entrance examination. According to Upstox News Desk, Telegram's message-editing functionality had allegedly been used in recent examinations to insert actual question papers into older messages after exams were conducted and circulate screenshots as purported proof that papers had leaked beforehand. The platform-level action follows weeks of coordinated efforts by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, which oversaw the takedown of several Telegram channels, groups and bots allegedly involved in examination-related fraud. The NTA said channel-by-channel enforcement had proved insufficient to address the problem, leading to the broader platform restrictions. As per NTA's release on Tuesday, June 16, 'Both measures have been taken in the interest of public order, in response to the organised use of the platform by cheating rackets to defraud candidates appearing for the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination scheduled on 21 June 2026.'
Google has officially removed Telegram from the Play Store following a government order aimed at preventing NEET paper leaks, with Apple expected to follow suit in compliance with the directive. As reported by PTI, a source confirmed that 'The government has asked Google and Apple to delist the app temporarily. Google has done it. Apple will be doing it.' When checked, Google Play Store displayed the message that the app is not available, confirming the platform's removal. Queries sent to Google, Apple and The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) did not elicit any immediate reply. This represents a significant escalation in the government's measures to prevent examination fraud, as authorities have now taken control of both major app distribution platforms.
A senior telecom industry source rejected Durov's allegations, stating that 'The allegations he is making regarding Meta, however, relate to an entirely different company -- Jio. These are separate entities. Meta is only a minority investor in Jio and has no role in its day-to-day operations or management. Conflating the two demonstrates either a lack of understanding of the sector or a deliberate attempt to spread misinformation.' The source noted that Meta has a small stake in the digital arm of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) -- Jio, while subsea cables are operated by another group, Reliance Communications, which is not part of RIL. An email query sent to Telegram, RCom, Jio, Meta and WhatsApp in this regard did not elicit any immediate reply. The nationwide examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admission to undergraduate medical institutes was cancelled after the previous exam held on May 3 amid allegations of paper leak.
