India orders temporary ban on Telegram over exam fraud concerns

India's Ministry of Education ordered a temporary nationwide ban on Telegram until June 22, 2024, citing concerns over its use in exam fraud. The ministry also mandated the disabling of Telegram's message editing feature. This action follows the discovery of Telegram channels being used to leak question papers for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for engineering admissions. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been investigating the alleged exam paper leaks, which have implicated several individuals and institutions. The government aims to curb the misuse of the messaging platform for facilitating cheating and ensuring the integrity of national-level examinations. The ban specifically targets the period leading up to and including the re-examination of NEET-UG, scheduled for June 23, 2024, following widespread allegations of irregularities. The Ministry of Education stated that such measures are necessary to uphold fairness and transparency in the academic selection processes.