Telegram continued to remain unavailable on Apple's App Store until around 10 am. An emailed query sent to Apple did not receive an immediate response regarding the delay.
The government had imposed a temporary blanket ban on Telegram until June 22, and sources indicated that there had been no change or extension to the order. The Centre had blocked the platform after it failed to prevent the circulation of fake National Eligibility cum Entrance Test examination papers, the spread of misleading information, and other fraudulent activities that affected the examination process.
Before imposing the ban, government officials held a meeting with Telegram representatives on June 3, during which these concerns were raised. Following the discussions, the Centre decided to block the application and its associated web links, including the web version, until June 22.
Telegram was also directed to disable its message editing feature until June 30. Authorities conducted the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test re-examination on June 21, and no reports of fraudulent activity have emerged so far.
Telegram founder and chief executive officer Pavel Durov criticised India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for imposing a one-week ban on the platform because some users allegedly shared leaked examination questions. He further alleged that Reliance, in which Meta holds a partial stake, may have lobbied along with rival platform WhatsApp to push for restrictions on Telegram in the country.
The restoration of Telegram marks the end of a temporary government action linked to concerns over examination integrity and digital misinformation, while restrictions on certain features of the platform remain in force until the end of June.
About The Author
Comment List