At meet before ban on Telegram, Government flagged limited search feature, missing ‘proactive’ steps

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jun 18, 2026 07:15 AM IST

The meeting, convened by MeitY after summoning Telegram representatives, was held to discuss the “scale and nature of the fraud network identified on Telegram with respect to the recent NEET (UG) 2026 examination cycle”.

One of the key grievances the government has had with messaging platform Telegram is its limited search feature. While, according to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Telegram has been telling the government for the last four years that it has been “working on it”, the platform has opined that “the outright blocking or banning of particular keywords or phrases does not appear to be an appropriate solution”, for content moderation on the platform.

According to the platform, by not being a “content-push platform”, its architecture “inherently limits the discoverability”.

Telegram couldn’t catch ‘NEET leaked paper’ channels: Government

Preceding the June 16 temporary blocking order issued by the Centre against Telegram, the government had flagged in a June 3 meeting to the platform that it had failed to upgrade its restricted search feature. As an example, the government cited: the platform did not catch operating channels even if a simple search with ‘NEET leaked paper’ was conducted.

“It was informed by representatives from MeitY that for the last four years, Telegram has been stating that their search feature is limited and that Telegram is working on it …  the Government can take a strict measure against the platform, since Telegram has consistently failed to proactively take measures to control the misuse of the platform,” the minutes from the June 3 meeting notes.

Read | Telegram ban not foolproof against VPNs, but curbs NEET fraud market: NTA chief

Outright ban on keywords not a solution: Telegram

In an email by Telegram to MeitY on June 5, the platform further explained that “search signals, keywords and other indicators form part of the overall moderation framework and are continuously used to identify and take action against unlawful content, including content relating to examination fraud and paper leak activities.”

It also explained that “the outright blocking or banning of particular keywords or phrases does not appear to be an appropriate solution, as such terms may also be used in legitimate contexts, including by students, educational stakeholders, media organisations and news reporting relating to the issue.”

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The meeting, convened by MeitY after summoning Telegram representatives, was held to discuss the “scale and nature of the fraud network identified on Telegram with respect to the recent NEET (UG) 2026 examination cycle”.

Also read | Changes recommended in JEE Advanced

During this meeting, the government had also suggested IMEI-level blocking. However, in the June 5 email, Telegram clarified that it “does not utilise the suggested IMEI-based identifier as part of its enforcement architecture”.

According to the minutes of the meeting, NTA flagged that it “regularly informed and gave lists to Telegram about the operating channels,” which Telegram said it acted on. Telegram told the government officials that they have “modified their technical architecture exclusively for India”.

Also Read | NTA grants extra time, more space for rough work in booklet

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The government also flagged the lack of proactive measures by Telegram “when the issue was at the peak”. However, Telegram said that it has implemented “extensive proactive and reactive moderation measures…”

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Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court

Professional Profile

Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.

Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).

Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.

She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.

With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram

Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)

Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:

High-Profile Case Coverage

She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.

Signature Style

Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.

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