Students preparing for the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination have raised concerns about the Centre's temporary suspension of Telegram, saying the messaging platform was a key source of previous years' question papers, self-study material, and practice content shared by teachers. The Delhi High Court on Friday upheld the suspension, which remains in effect until 22 June, just a day after the re-examination scheduled for 21 June 2026.

How Telegram Was Used for Exam Preparation

Students in Kota — the hub of competitive exam coaching in India — described the platform as an integral part of their daily study routine. One student noted that teachers regularly shared practice questions through Telegram channels, while PDF compilations of teaching content and past papers were freely accessible on the app.

'We would get previous year papers, self-study material and other practice content from there. So that will be a difficulty now. The PDFs of teaching content were also available on the platform,' the student said.

Another student attending a Kota-based coaching institute acknowledged the government's intent but pointed to gaps in the approach: 'I feel the Union government has done well by banning Telegram, but there are other apps as well like Discord, Snapchat and WhatsApp. Something should be done so that paper leaks do not happen at all.'

The Mixed Reaction Among Students

Responses from students were notably split. While most acknowledged that the Centre's move was aimed at preventing another paper leak — following the alleged May 3 paper leak that forced the re-examination — they questioned whether suspending a single platform was sufficient or even effective.

One student described the suspension as 'both good as well as bad,' explaining that while curbing paper leaks through Telegram was a legitimate goal, the ban simultaneously disrupted legitimate study workflows. Another student argued that the suspension 'is only hiding the mistake that has already happened, but it cannot stop future problems.'

A fourth student backed the government's decision but urged for permanent structural measures to ensure examination integrity, rather than reactive, short-term bans.

Delhi High Court Upholds the Centre's Decision

The Delhi High Court ruled that the Union government had strictly followed the procedure prescribed under law while invoking its emergency blocking powers to suspend Telegram's services across India. Telegram had challenged the suspension in court, contesting both the platform-wide ban until 22 June and a separate order disabling its message-editing feature until 30 June. The court rejected the challenge, allowing the suspension to stand through the re-examination date.

Background: NEET-UG 2026 Re-Examination

The NEET-UG 2026 re-examination on 21 June was ordered following an alleged paper leak on 3 May, which triggered widespread protests and legal scrutiny. The Telegram suspension is one of several measures taken by authorities to prevent a repeat of the leak. This is not the first time NEET has been embroiled in integrity concerns — the 2024 edition also faced paper-leak allegations, raising questions about the systemic robustness of India's medical entrance examination infrastructure.

With the re-examination hours away, students in Kota and across the country are navigating both the disruption to their study resources and the pressure of sitting a high-stakes exam under extraordinary circumstances.