New Delhi / Bhilwara: In a major development ahead of the highly sensitive NEET-UG re-examination, Rajasthan Police has detained a student in Bhilwara for attempting to sell a fake NEET question paper. Alarmingly, the accused was operating despite the nationwide ban on the instant messaging platform Telegram. To bypass government restrictions, the student utilized a US-based Virtual Private Network (VPN) to run a notorious Telegram channel boldly named "Paper Mafia."

Meanwhile, the legal battle over the platform's suspension reached a conclusion as the Delhi High Court dismissed Telegram’s petition challenging the central government's temporary ban. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had issued an order on June 16, enforcing a complete ban on Telegram until June 22, explicitly to safeguard the integrity of the NEET re-examination. With the High Court's dismissal, the restriction will remain strictly in place until the conclusion of the exam phase.

Delhi HC: Government Possesses Legal Power to Impose Ban

The single-judge bench of Justice Tejas Karia presided over the final hearing, ruling that the central government acted well within its constitutional and legal boundaries. The High Court stated, "The Government of India holds absolute authority to block public access to any intermediary under Section 69A of the Information Technology (IT) Act in the interest of national security and public order."

Furthermore, the court highlighted that a designated Review Committee had thoroughly scrutinized the government's blocking order. Justice Karia remarked that the state's intervention demonstrated careful deliberation rather than administrative haste or negligence, thereby making court interference unwarranted.

During the intense legal arguments on Thursday, the High Court had questioned the government's sweeping approach, asking how the rights of nearly 150 million Indian Telegram users could be suspended due to the misdeeds of a few unscrupulous elements. In response, government counsels strongly argued that the immediate threat of platform abuse, massive leak syndicates, and deep-web circulation of papers right before the re-exam posed an existential risk to the academic future of millions of students, necessitating an immediate digital circuit-breaker.

Indian Air Force Launches Unprecedented Security Mission

To ensure a completely foolproof examination process, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has stepped in to conduct a massive, multi-city logistics and security operation. In a span of just four days, IAF aircraft and helicopters have completed over 200 flights to transport confidential NEET exam papers to more than 20 high-security nodal locations across India.

The entire transportation mission is slated for completion by Wednesday evening. To counter cyber and physical tampering, authorities have locked the question papers inside state-of-the-art digital containers equipped with real-time GPS tracking and specialized digital locks. A central control room managed 24/7 by military and security personnel in New Delhi is live-monitoring these boxes. If even a minor, unauthorized attempt is made to breach a box, an automatic electronic alert is instantly triggered at the headquarters.

Western Railway Announces Special Trains for Aspirants

Acknowledging the heavy travel rush of students moving toward regional test centers, Western Railway has announced the operations of three dedicated NEET Special Trains. These special trains will run along primary routes connecting major cities across Gujarat and Maharashtra. To cater to student budgets, the configurations will exclusively feature comfortable Sleeper and General second-class coaches, ensuring hassle-free transit for thousands of exam candidates.