Google Restores Telegram on Play Store After Temporary Ban Ends; access resumes across India

New Delhi, June 23 (TNT):Google on Tuesday restored messaging platform Telegram on its Play Store after a temporary government-imposed ban ended on June 22.

Telegram became accessible again across India after a 24-hour restriction, restoring access to millions of users who had been blocked from the service over concerns related to exam-related fraud and misinformation.

The Centre had ordered the temporary ban on Telegram following concerns that organised cheating networks linked to the NEET-UG controversy had allegedly used the platform to facilitate malpractice.

Acting on the recommendation of the National Testing Agency (NTA), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) imposed the restriction under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination conducted on June 21.

The move followed the cancellation of the original NEET-UG 2026 examination amid allegations of widespread paper leaks and other irregularities.

Invoking its powers under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, MeitY directed internet service providers to block access to Telegram in India until June 22.

The Ministry also instructed the platform to disable its message-editing feature for already-posted messages until June 30.

As part of the restrictions, the government directed Google and Apple to remove Telegram from their respective app stores during the ban period.

With the expiry of the restriction period, Telegram has been restored on app stores and is once again accessible to users across the country.

TNT TS