New Delhi, June 16 -- India on Tuesday moved to block the popular messaging platform Telegram until 22 June 2026, citing its exploitation by organised cheating networks ahead of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) undergraduate re-examination, scheduled for 21 June. The shutdown, which the government described as a measure of last resort, has drawn sharp criticism from the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), which argues that the order is legally overreaching, practically ineffective, and ultimately harmful to the very students it claims to protect.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), under the Ministry of Education, announced the block "in response to the organised use of the platform by cheating rackets to defraud candidate...