No Specialists to Deal With Cyber Crime Cases

CHENNAI: The Information Technology (IT) Act — 2000 is one of the worst Acts that we have in India, said Justice P Jyothimani, Judicial Member, National Green Tribunal.

The former judge of the Madras High Court was delivering the valedictory address at the Digital Forensics Congress — 2015 jointly organised by Center of Excellence in Digital Forensics (CoEDF), Asian Criminological Society and Indian Society of Criminology at the University of Madras on Saturday.

“There is just one Act that deals with cyber crimes in India. (But) no one understands cyber crimes... There is a Cyber Appellate Tribunal headed by a retired High Court judge. But even after the tribunal gives its judgment, the case goes to HC. Who will take cognisance of cyber offences?” Jyothimani said, adding that there was no special crime department to investigate cyber crimes. He also said that he hadn’t seen a special court constituted under the IT Act.

Emphasising on the fact that the judges themselves aren’t very much aware of cyber crimes, Jyothimani wondered what was the use of having an Act with more than 85 sections when neither the person who investigates nor the magistrate concerned were specialists. “Technical aspects of cyber crime must be made a part of school and college curriculum,” he added.

Anjaneyulu Voora, managing director, CoEDF, K Rama Subramaniam, chairman, CoEDF, professor Sundramoorthy, faculty at the Universiti Sains Malaysia, R Thilagaraj, director (Academics), CoEDF and S Latha, secretary, Indian Society of Criminology, were present.

Over 130 delegates from across India and Australia, China and Malaysia, participated in the two-day Congress.