Cyber crimes

Story hook

It is 24 March 2015. The Supreme Court of India sits in constitutional bench. Justice J. Chelameswar delivers the unanimous judgement in Shreya Singhal v Union of India — a case filed by a 21-year-old law student. The court strikes down Section 66A of the Information Technology Act 2000 — introduced by the 2008 amendment — which had been used to arrest people for posts on Facebook, Twitter, blogs.

The court calls Section 66A "vague, overbroad, and chilling to free speech" — a textbook violation of Articles 19(1)(a) and 21. Hundreds of cases pending under the section are quashed. The judgement becomes a landmark for digital rights in India.

Eight years later — 11 August 2023. President signs the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP) 2023. After five drafts (2018 Justice Srikrishna Committee + 2019 PDP Bill + 2022 DPDP Bill + 2023 Bill), India finally has a personal data protection statute. The Act creates the Data Protection Board of India (DPBI), imposes consent obligations on Data Fiduciaries (anyone processing personal data), penalties up to Rs. 250 crore per breach, and shifts India closer to global norms (GDPR-lite).

Meanwhile, cybercrime numbers explode. NCRB Crime in India 2022: 65,893 cybercrime cases registered (up 24.4% YoY). I4C's 1930 helpline + cybercrime.gov.in received 70+ lakh complaints by 2024. **Section 66D (cheating by personation)

• 66C (identity theft) + 419/420 IPC** are the workhorse charge sheets.

For UPSC, this is GS-III's legal framework chapter — how does India statutorily handle cyber crimes + data protection? The IT Act 2000 + DPDP Act 2023 together form the answer.

Why this matters for UPSC

Asked in Mains 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023. Prelims tests IT Act sections, DPDP Act 2023, Shreya Singhal verdict, K.S. Puttaswamy right-to-privacy verdict. Interview boards probe Section 66A strikedown, DPDP-GDPR comparison, cybercrime helpline. The legal spine of every cyber Mains answer.