SC Welcomes Detention In Cybercrime Cases, Duggal Urges AI-Ready Legal Framework

Observing that conventional criminal laws are proving inadequate in tackling cyber offenders, the Supreme Court on Monday appreciated the approach adopted by Tamil Nadu in using preventive detention laws against cybercrime offenders.

The bench of Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice Joymalya Bagchi described this approach as a ‘very welcome’ development in the fight against digital offences.

The bench was hearing a plea challenging a preventive detention order against a cyber fraud accused.

The bench listed the matter for further hearing on Wednesday.

The petition was filed by the father of detenu Abhijeet Singh, challenging a Madras High Court order that upheld his son’s preventive detention.

The case pertains to detention under the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act, 1982, applicable to cybercrime and other serious offences.

In an exclusive conversation with iTV Network, Cyber law expert Pavan Duggal welcomed the Supreme Court’s observation, calling it a timely reflection of the ground realities in the digital landscape.

Duggal said, ‘Cyber laws are often twenty steps behind evolving technologies and with the rise of artificial intelligence and the advent of quantum computing, cybercrimes are becoming more complex and dangerous.’

Duggal lauds the government’s efforts to update existing laws and align them with present-day cyber threats. 

He said that need is to amend laws like the IT Act and create a more comprehensive legal framework covering cybersecurity and AI.

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