Shut malls to stop theft: Telegram's throws shade over NEET leak-related ban
Telegram has sharply criticised the Centre's decision to temporarily block the messaging platform ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, comparing the move to shutting shopping
Telegram has sharply criticised the Centre's decision to temporarily block the messaging platform ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, comparing the move to shutting shopping malls because a theft might occur in one of them. The remark came in response to Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram, who questioned whether blocking Telegram was the government's "master stroke" to prevent examination paper leaks. Telegram replied, "You should also shut down all the shopping malls since there might be a theft in one of them. And close the roads because I heard someone was speeding." Read Full Story The exchange has since snowballed into a wider controversy, with Telegram moving the Delhi High Court against the restriction, opposition leaders attacking the government and the Testing Agency defending the move as necessary to protect the integrity of the June 21 NEET re-examination. TELEGRAM DOUBLES DOWN The exchange did not end there. As users challenged Telegram's comparison, arguing that malls do not allow thieves to operate openly and questioning why scam, leak and hate channels often remain active for long periods, the company returned with another pointed response. "Try harder. Malls stop crimes when they are aware - so does Telegram. No matter how actively anyone polices, misuse happens," Telegram wrote. The platform's remarks marked one of its strongest public defences yet against accusations that it has failed to adequately tackle channels involved in examination scams and paper leak claims.
DUROV SAYS BAN PUNISHES MILLIONS In separate post Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov argued that the government's action unfairly targets ordinary users rather than those responsible for leaking or circulating examination material. "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," Durov wrote on X. "And the ban hasn't stopped anything. The leaks just moved to other apps." Durov said Telegram had taken extensive action against channels involved in examination scams. "We've done a lot to help fix the problem - even though its source is not Telegram," he wrote. According to Durov, Telegram removed hundreds of channels sharing leaked examination material and related scams in India in recent weeks. He also said the platform had made its "edited" label more visible to prevent manipulation of timestamps and backdating scams. "Telegram is a force for good. Banning it - even temporarily - is a mistake," he added. TELEGRAM MOVES DELHI HIGH COURT As the row escalated, Telegram approached the Delhi High Court challenging the government's decision to restrict access to the platform. The company argued that the measure disproportionately affects millions of legitimate users who rely on Telegram for communication, education and business purposes. The matter was mentioned before Justice Tejas Karia, who agreed to hear the plea later on Wednesday.
The BriefWire