Pavel Durov criticises NTA curbs, says Telegram ban punishes 150 million Indian users

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has criticised the Indian government's temporary restrictions on the social messaging platform, arguing that the move punishes millions of ordinary users rather than those responsible for spreading alleged exam-related leaks.

“India’s IT ministry banned Telegram for one week because some users shared leaked exam questions. This punishes 150M+ ordinary Telegram users in India — not the insiders who leaked the exam materials. And the ban hasn't stopped anything. The leaks just moved to other apps,” Durov wrote in a post on X on Tuesday.



The remarks come after the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced temporary restrictions on Telegram in India until 22 June and directed the platform to disable message editing until 30 June. The measures were introduced ahead of the NEET UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for 21 June.

According to the NTA, cheating networks had been using Telegram to circulate fake claims of a NEET paper leak and to fabricate evidence intended to mislead candidates and trigger public confusion. The agency said the restrictions are aimed at preventing the spread of misinformation, protecting the integrity of the examination process, and maintaining public order.

The NTA reiterated that no exam paper exists outside the secured examination chain and urged students and parents to rely only on official communications regarding the examination. It also advised the public to report fraud, impersonation, or misinformation through the national cybercrime portal and helpline.

Durov, however, argued that blocking access to Telegram is an ineffective response, claiming that those seeking to distribute leaked material can easily migrate to other platforms.

His comments raise questions about whether platform-wide restrictions are an effective tool for tackling online misinformation and exam-related fraud.