India, June 17 -- The ban on messaging platform Telegram has triggered mixed reactions. Critics of the move, along with opposition parties, have slammed the government's decision, while the Centre has maintained that the temporary restriction is necessary to ensure the smooth conduct of the re-NEET examination scheduled for June 21.

To understand the government's rationale, it is important to examine the two directives issued to Telegram following interventions by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The first order suspends access to the platform until June 22, a day after the examination. The second, and arguably more significant, order directs Telegram to disable its message-editing feature until June 30.

According to the government, ...