Telegram ban not the solution to paper leaks, says AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal

AAm Aadmi company (AAP) subject convener Arvind Kejriwal on th questioned the government's conclusion to temporarily censor Telegram as a measure to prevent examination paper leaks, alleging that such steps would not address the root cause of the problem.In a video message posted on X, Kejriwal asserted that banning the messaging platform was not the solution to the problem and claimed that the authorities were not serious about tackling the issue."The business of paper leaks is worth billions of rupees," he alleged, claiming that large sums of money generated through such activities reach influential people.Watch his statement here: The former Delhi chief minister further alleged that money from paper leak rackets was being used for political purposes, including the purchase of legislators.Kejriwal emphasised that paper leaks would continue unless systemic changes were introduced and called on people to come together to demand reforms. "The whole system will have to change," he said.Also Read: Telegram access restricted in India till June 22 to prevent NEET re-exam fraudThe government on Tuesday temporarily restricted access to the Telegram messaging app ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, with the National Testing Agency (NTA) saying the measure is aimed at tackling cheating rackets and misinformation.NTA Director General Abhishek Singh said the restriction on Telegram till June 22 is part of efforts to ensure that the June 21 re-test is conducted without malpractice."We will not let anything go wrong. We will take all possible actions to ensure that the examination is conducted without any malpractice," Singh told PTI, when asked about the move.The NTA expressed its gratitude to the MeitY for what it described as a "timely action" taken in the interest of students and said it would help ensure the conduct of "safe and secure examinations" on June 21.The NTA said the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has served as the principal nodal agency coordinating the operational response to the Telegram-based fraud and misinformation targeting NEET candidates."NTA places on record that the intelligence-sharing and coordinated take-down action led by the Ministry of Home Affairs, through I4C, and MeitY has been continuous, prompt and substantive, and remains the operational backbone of the response," the statement said.Telegram CEO respondsTelegram CEO Pavel Durov criticised the restriction on the messaging app in India, saying, "Banning it, even temporarily, is a mistake."In a post on X, Durov said, “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. And the ban hasn't stopped anything. The leaks just moved to other apps.”