Cyber-crime has hit India with a vengeance, thanks to lax local laws and apathy on the part of the government. The rapidly technologically advancing nation is seeing a jump in cyber-crime like the developed world as more and more of the country is moving online.But whereas Western nations have implemented serious punishment for those convicted of online criminal activities, India’s sole cyber law, the Information Technology Act 2000 (IT Act 2000), has been
weakened by recent amendments.
As a result of this laxity, more serious problems are now arising. With an increasing use of information and communication technology (ICT) for various public purposes, public safety and security is also at risk.
Praveen Dalal, Managing Partner of
Perry4Law and the leading Techno-Legal Expert of India, has sent an
open letter to the government of India including the Prime Minister, the President, the Supreme Court of India, and the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs to bring to their attention the increasing threat of cyber-crimes in the country.
Reacting immediately, the Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily announced the enactment of separate laws and the formation of a specialized agency to handle cyber-crimes, although no further progress has been made in that direction so far.
According to experts, Indian law enforcement
lacks the necessary training to deal with cyber-crimes. As a result, they have been known to avoid registering and investigating such crimes. Similarly, cyber law has not yet picked a pace wit the lawyers and judges as well.
India must urgently do something about the growing cyber crimes. The first step must be to enact strong and effective cyber laws. Further, the government must also provide suitable training to the police officers, lawyers and judges in India. The netizens must also take proper precautions while dealing online to avoid being victim of cyber crimes.
SOURCE: TECHJOURNAL
