New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairperson Justice (Retired) Arun Mishra has called for a “stringent legislation” to penalise “unlawful internet behaviour and cybercrimes”.
Speaking at the 25th All India Forensic Science Conference in Ahmedabad, the former Supreme Court judge said that freedom of expression on social media platforms and the cyberspace is “not larger” than what is granted under Article 19 of the constitution. “So there has to be stringent legislation dealing with this… for the benefit of humans, we should deal with misuse very sternly,” he said.
Justice Mishra said that the method of committing crimes has changes because “technology is the weapon of the day”. He said, “It is being used for good purpose as well as committing crimes. We are witness to an exponential rise in internet users over the past decade. Cyberspace is being used to infringe on civil and human rights at large, including individuals’ privacy. Cybersecurity is the key in fighting cyber crimes for the preservation of human rights.”
The former judge added that the Ministry of Home Affairs’ portal shows that India is one of the most vulnerable countries for cyber threats detected and targeted attacks. Marginalised sections are particularly vulnerable to cybercrimes like identity theft, fraud and ransomwares, he said.
“It is necessary to promote cyber-ethics and stringent legislation by the government to penalise and punish unlawful internet behaviour and cybercrimes. Many countries have amended the law specifically designed to deal with the cybercrimes along with the advent newer types of crimes. There is need for more computerised forensic science laboratories, centres of excellence on information technology, security education and training investigating officers, lawyers and judges,” he said.
According to Indian Express, Justice Mishra said that Kautilya’s Arthashastra was the first source of forensic science in India. “The handprints known as ‘tarija’ were treated as an inimitable form of signature. It has been scientifically proven that fingerprint identification is infallible,” he said.
