The services of messaging platform Telegram are set to go up from Tuesday with the corrective re-examination of the national medical entrance test successfully completed on Sunday, officials told ET. However, the app must disable its message editing feature till June 30, they added.
The ministry of electronics and information technology's (MeitY) temporary ban on the UAE-based platform is the latest flashpoint in a series of standoffs over the past few years, which has now culminated in the Centre terming the platform a 'new dark web.'
From mounting takedown orders for pirated content, and investigations into criminal syndicates for gambling, and allegation of national security risks such as terror networking, ET looks at Telegram's history of clashing with authorities in India to protect its encryption model and safeguard its service in its largest national market globally.
May 2019: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) accused Telegram of non-cooperation after the platform refused to share chat details of ISIS module Ansar-ul-Khilafah Kerala despite several queries.
August 2022: The Delhi High Court ordered Telegram to disclose the identity, phone numbers, or IP addresses of anonymous users running channels involved in copyright infringement
March 2023: The Kerala High Court disposed a public interest litigation seeking complete ban on Telegram over rampant sharing of obscene material, sexual content featuring women, and child pornography content after the Centre confirmed the app was removing the flagged content
June 2024: The National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled and rescheduled the UGC-NET exam after the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the ministry of home affairs found the exam paper being sold on Telegram channels for Rs 5,000.
August 2024: Following the high-profile arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France, I4C and MeitY reportedly launched joint investigation into Telegram over extortion networks and illegal gambling rings run on the platform.
October 2024: Durov revealed that Telegram complied with an unprecedented 6,992 legal data disclosure requests from Indian authorities in the first nine months of 2024.
March 2026: Notice issued by ministry of information & broadcasting (MIB) to remove pirated content across 3142 Telegram channels following massive copyright complaints from streaming giants like JioCinema and Amazon Prime Video.
June 2026: Acting on recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA), MeitY directed a temporary block of Telegram in India until June 22 to secure the rescheduled NEET-UG examination on June 21. Issued under Section 69(A), 'in the interest of public order', the order sought to curb the platform's use by organised cheating rackets to circulate leaked exam materials.
Numbers at a glance:
150 million active monthly users in India
10-15% of 1 billion+ global user base
919,000 VPN downloads in India a day after temporary ban announced on June 16
2.75 lakh complaints involving Telegram reported on national portal, up from 75,688 in 2023
88,000 similar complaints recorded till May in 2026
Rs.3,086 crore worth of fraud on Telegram reported in 2025
Source: Telegram, Home Affairs Ministry, App Figures
