Cybercrime up, HC raps Executive for inaction

Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 1
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asserted that cybercrime is virtually out of control, while rapping the Executive for sleeping over the matter and not taking preventive steps.
The Bench also made it clear that inaction on the Executive’s part had increased the burden on the court, compelling it to be extra cautious in the matter of bail.
“When cybercrime is rampant and many people are being duped into online fraud, any sensitive and concerned Executive would have woken up and taken pre-emptive measures by bringing effective and foolproof regulations, tracking digital devices and blocking suspicious websites and traffic,” Justice Anoop Chitkara said.
The Bench said it unfortunately appeared that the officials responsible for controlling law and order were either insensitive or incompetent, or were happy enjoying their plush jobs and plum postings, “ignorant of the truth that the callousness is at the cost of the pain and sufferings of innocent victims and the potential victims of cybercrime”.
Referring to the severe implications of this neglect, Justice Chitkara asserted the courts facing “such cruel ground realities” were required to adjudicate the matters “in the background of the gruesome fact situation”, when “the ball comes to the court’s court”.
“The lack of affirmative action by the Executive while dealing with cybercrime has increased the burden on the court’s shoulders, and the court has to be extra cautious while granting anticipatory bail to cyber thugs,” Justice Chitkara asserted.
The assertion came as Justice Chitkara dismissed the anticipatory bail plea filed by an accused in a cheating and criminal conspiracy case registered at the Charkhi Dadri cybercrime police station under Sections 120-B and 420 of the IPC on May 12.
Justice Chitkara’s Bench was told that the petitioner committed a Rs 27.61-crore cyber fraud by opening multiple bank accounts and using several SIM cards, etc.
Turning down the bail plea, the court said the petitioner’s account had unexplained, disproportionate and highly suspicious bank transactions. His call details and chats told tales of crime. The allegations were serious.