Governments across the globe have acted against popular messaging app Telegram, the latest being India.
The central government this week slapped temporary restrictions on Telegram ahead of the NEET-UG medical entrance re-examination set for Sunday. The app, before the restrictions, was widely used by students to share study materials, businesses to run communities, and creators to build audiences.
Telegram has been banned in a number of countries so far. (Representative image)
The ban has led to a fiery response from Telegram’s billionaire founder Pavel Durov , and an ongoing messy court battle in the Delhi high court.
Telegram occupies a unique space in the digital world. Unlike WhatsApp , which is largely built around private conversations, Telegram combines messaging with large public channels and massive groups that can host lakhs of users. This allows information to spread at extraordinary speed.
That same feature is why the app has become popular among political activists, journalists and dissidents in countries with strict controls on speech.
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India is not the first country to take action against the app. From Russia and Iran to Brazil and China, governments across the world have restricted, suspended or investigated Telegram.
India's temporary ban on Telegram
The latest issue stems from the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case. Acting on recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA) , the Centre ordered a temporary block on Telegram until June 22, covering the June 21 NEET re-examination and its immediate aftermath.
While the authorities have called the Telegram action as restrictions, user experience suggest it is almost a ban as messages stopped getting delivered from Wednesday evening.
Authorities said Telegram channels were being used to sell fake leaked exam papers and answer keys. Investigators also flagged the platform's message-editing feature, alleging that scammers were posting generic messages before exams and later editing them to insert actual questions, creating the impression they had prior access to the paper.
Alongside the temporary ban, Telegram has been directed to disable message editing for already posted messages in India until June 30.
Telegram has challenged the order in the Delhi high court . They said that blocking the entire platform punishes more than 150 million Indian users while doing little to stop bad actors.
India said Telegram channels were being used to sell leaked exam papers and answer keys. (Representative image) Iran
Iran once ranked among Telegram 's largest markets, with millions of users relying on the service. After anti-government protests in 2018, authorities permanently blocked the app. They accused it of helping demonstrators organise and spread opposition messages, according to details mentioned in an NYT report.
Telegram reportedly refused demands to shut down peaceful protest channels or hand over user information.
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China
China has blocked Telegram since 2015 as part of its vast internet censorship system known as the Great Firewall, as per Business Standard.
Chinese authorities have long viewed Telegram with suspicion because of its popularity among activists, lawyers and political organisers. The app became even more controversial during the 2019 Hong Kong protests , when demonstrators used it extensively to coordinate rallies and share updates.
For Beijing, Telegram's ability to facilitate large-scale organisation outside state-controlled platforms made it a difficult fit within China's tightly regulated digital ecosystem.
Russia
Telegram was founded by Russian-born entrepreneur Pavel Durov, yet Moscow has repeatedly tried to block it. In 2018, Russian authorities banned Telegram after it refused to provide access to encrypted communications requested by security agencies, as per the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR).
The ban proved difficult to enforce and was eventually lifted in 2020. But relations deteriorated again following Russia's invasion of Ukraine , with authorities accusing Telegram of failing to combat fraud, extremist content and criminal activity.
Telegram, though, accused the Russian government of attempting to force users onto state-controlled alternatives.
Telegram accused the Russian government of attempting to force users onto state-controlled alternatives (Representative image) Brazil
Brazil has never imposed a permanent ban on Telegram, but it has repeatedly suspended the platform. The country's courts have reportedly accused Telegram of failing to comply with orders related to misinformation, extremist content and criminal investigations.
During election periods, concerns about disinformation have often put the platform under intense scrutiny. Several suspensions were later lifted…
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