India ordered Google and Apple to pull Telegram from their app stores for four days, cutting off an estimated 104 to 150 million users — including a massive chunk of the country's crypto gaming crowd. The delisting, ordered under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, runs through June 22. It's tied to a medical entrance exam gone wrong: the NEET-UG re-examination scheduled for June 21, after the original May 3 test was scrapped over a paper leak that Telegram channels helped spread.
Why the ban is temporary — and what's targeted
The government's order is explicitly short-lived, expiring on June 22. But it's not the only restriction: a separate direction forces Telegram to disable its message-editing feature for Indian users until June 30. The idea is to stop people from creating backdated screenshots that look like leaked exam material. The National Testing Agency pushed for the action after finding that Telegram channels had been used to distribute the stolen papers.
For crypto users, the timing stings. India is Telegram's biggest single national base, and the app has become the default platform for tap-to-earn games, daily quiz apps, and Web3 mini-apps. With the ban, Indian users can't even access existing chats — many lost access to on-chain participation overnight.
Durov's counterattack: Reliance and WhatsApp
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov didn't take the ban quietly. He accused Indian telecom giant Reliance of using a BGP hijack via its autonomous system number AS18101 to disrupt Telegram traffic even for users outside India, including in the UAE. Durov also alleged that Reliance and WhatsApp had lobbied together to push the Indian government into the ban, pointing to Meta's minority stake in Reliance Industries as motive.
A senior India telecom industry source pushed back hard. They said Durov was conflating two separate entities: Reliance Communications (which runs subsea cables and holds AS18101) and Reliance Industries Ltd (parent of Jio, where Meta has a stake). The source called the accusation either a misunderstanding or deliberate misinformation.
Crypto fallout: GRAM dips, gamers locked out
The TON blockchain's native token GRAM dropped 2% on the news — a modest move, but one that reflects the direct link between Telegram's user base and the TON ecosystem. The bigger immediate impact is on the hundreds of thousands of Indian users who play crypto games inside Telegram. Those mini-apps rely on the app's in-line browser and payment channels; with access cut, they're frozen out of earning and claiming tokens.
No official word yet on whether the ban will be extended past June 22. That deadline, and the June 30 editing feature deadline, are the next concrete dates to watch.
