The Madras High Court on Tuesday called for details of infrastructure and experts available with the cyber crime cells in the police department. It wanted to know whether those specialised cells were equipped to detect complicated crimes committed by white collar criminals trained in handling technologically advanced software and hardware.
Justice N. Kirubakaran directed Additional Advocate General Narmadha Sampath to submit the details by Thursday after she claimed that the government had recently allocated ₹10 crore for purchase of high-end equipment for solving cyber crimes. She also said that the cells were equipped with all facilities required to track and solve cyber crimes.
However, Additional Solicitor General G. Rajagopalan recalled that he had lodged a police complaint in January this year against an individual who had shared an abusive and derogatory Facebook post against Chief Justice Indira Banerjee, because she was critical of the transport workers’ strike, but the accused had not been apprehended till date.
“They (police) say that the person has deleted the post and therefore they are unable to locate him,” the ASG told the court. Immediately, the judge observed that the cyber crime cells had to be improved way higher than what they were today. He pointed out that the police must raise their standards higher because cyber criminals were smarter and brighter.
Disapproving of the practice of abusing judges on the social media, Mr. Justice Kirubakaran, said, “this court passes hundreds of orders everyday... If everyone starts attributing motives to judgments passed by this court and accuse the judges of having been bribed to deliver verdicts in a particular fashion, there will be no end to this conundrum.”
Further, stating that the litigants always have the option of taking the judgments of the High Court on appeal to the Supreme Court, the judge said: “If you do not have faith or trust or confidence in the legal system, then don’t come to the court. Why do you file cases here and then attribute motives if the verdict goes against you?”