“Is Telegram banned forever?” Chaos explodes as app stays down after NEET-UG… users tag Ashwini Vaishnaw, Pavel Durov; June 22 twist sparks confusion

The question trending across social media today is simple—but the answers remain unclear: is Telegram permanently banned in India, or is the ongoing outage just a delayed restoration?

Even after the conclusion of the NEET-UG re-examination-related window, users across platforms including X continue to report that Telegram is not functioning normally in several regions.

Posts questioning the app’s status have surged throughout the day. One user wrote, “Telegram is still not working. Is it banned permanently?” while another added, “NEET is done but Telegram is still not working. What’s going on?” The uncertainty has turned into a full-blown online debate, with many expecting services to resume automatically after June 22.

The restrictions on Telegram were earlier linked to concerns flagged during the examination cycle. Authorities had directed Internet Service Providers to temporarily restrict access, citing fears that exam-related content could be circulated through the platform. The directive came under the oversight of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

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At the same time, separate instructions were issued regarding Telegram’s message-editing feature, which was reportedly disabled until June 30 as part of the precautionary measures.

The situation has also drawn attention from high-profile names. Users have been tagging Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw as well as Telegram founder Pavel Durov, demanding clarity on when full services will resume.

A major part of the confusion appears to stem from how the “June 22” timeline was interpreted. While the government’s directive stated restrictions would remain “until June 22,” many users assumed the app would start working on the same day. In regulatory language, however, “until a date” often implies restrictions remain active through that day, with restoration expected only after the period ends.

This subtle difference has created a gap between expectation and reality, leaving users frustrated and refreshing their apps repeatedly in anticipation of restoration.

Based on the earlier directive, Telegram services are expected to resume after the restriction window concludes—likely post June 22. However, the message-editing feature may continue to remain limited until June 30, suggesting a phased restoration rather than a full instant rollback.

As the situation unfolds, there is still no official clarification confirming whether the outage is extended, delayed, or part of a staggered reopening plan. Until then, users remain stuck in uncertainty, waiting for their most-used messaging platform to return to normal operation.