The government restricted Telegram ahead of NEET UG 2026 re-exam due to misuse of channels for fake paper leak scams, while WhatsApp was left untouched. Authorities cited Telegram’s anonymity, large public channels, file-sharing capacity and message-editing loophole as key risks, making fraud harder to control compared to WhatsApp.
When the Indian government invoked Section 69A of the Information Technology Act on Tuesday to restrict Telegram ahead of the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination on June 21, the obvious question followed almost immediately - if the problem is exam fraud on a messaging platform, why hasn't WhatsApp been banned too?
Both apps are wildly popular in India. Both allow group messaging and file sharing. And yet the government, acting on the recommendation of the National Testing Agency (NTA), brought the hammer down on one and left the other completely untouched.
The answer lies in how the two platforms are fundamentally designed, and how differently they respond to governments.
What was actually happening on Telegram
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