The Indian government has temporarily blocked access to the Telegram messaging app nationwide until June 22. The restriction was implemented in an effort to prevent exam fraud during a high-stakes medical entrance examination.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Education, the platform was being used by cheating rackets to defraud candidates taking the NEET-UG medical entrance exam. As part of the restrictions, the government also required the app's message editing feature to be disabled.
The order was issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. This stringent provision empowers the government to block access to online sites in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India. The messaging app is expected to be unblocked after the exam has taken place.