Google has reinstated Telegram on the Play Store in India after the messaging app was briefly banned. The government has blocked access to Telegram until June 22, with the centre acting against cheating rackets that were using the messaging platform to defraud students ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) ordered the restriction under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, moving on recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA) days before lakhs of medical aspirants sit the re-test on June 21.The removal of the app created a lot of confusion among the users as many of them were not able to either update or download the app. With the restoration, the messaging app is once again available for new downloads and updates across Android devices.
Why was Telegram banned in India
As mentioned above the instant messaging app was banned on the suspicion of its use in the NEET paper leak. According to the IANS report, the Centre argued that Telegram had repeatedly been used for examination-related scams and question paper leaks. The government told the court that it had exhausted other options before imposing platform-wide restrictions.In its affidavit, the Centre said requests for targeted content takedowns were not effective enough to stop the spread of unlawful material. The government claimed that several Telegram channels were allegedly involved in selling purported NEET question papers and running exam-related scams. According to the government, Telegram’s anonymity features, automated bots, forwarding tools and cloud-based architecture made enforcement actions more difficult.
What users can now do
As the app is once again available on the Google Play store, existing users may need to re-login to their accounts to resume sending messages. This step ensures that the restored app syncs properly with Telegram’s servers after the temporary suspension.It is also important to note that the app is presently available on the Google Play Store and the iPhone users will still have to wait for the app to appear on the App Store.
