Now Reading: MHA wants senior cops for cybercrime probes under IT Act
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MHA wants senior cops for cybercrime probes under IT Act
The Ministry of Home Affairs has proposed amending the Information Technology Act to require that cybercrime cases be investigated only by police officers above the rank of inspector. The proposal has been…
The Story in Brief
The Ministry of Home Affairs has proposed amending the Information Technology Act to require that cybercrime cases be investigated only by police officers above the rank of inspector. The proposal has been sent to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology following a recommendation by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, which argued that senior officers would improve probe quality. The report, tabled in the Lok Sabha on Friday, does not detail the exact rank or reveal whether MeitY has accepted the proposal.
The change would reverse the 2008 amendment that lowered the minimum rank from deputy superintendent of police to inspector. The committee also stressed that investigating officers must be trained in digital forensics, cyber laws and incident response. Hindustan Times reported that the government confirmed the proposal in an action-taken report but sought no comment from MeitY.
The Indian Opinion
Raising the rank of investigating officers sounds good, but it risks becoming another cosmetic fix. The 2008 downgrade to inspector was supposed to speed up probes, yet cybercrime backlogs remain huge. What matters is not just the badge but the training, tools and manpower. The real test will be whether MeitY approves the change and how quickly the new cadre gets the promised cyber skills. Without that, this is just a transfer of files.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
