Calcutta High Court Justice Tirthankar Ghosh highlighted that the delay in obscene content removal on social media causes embarrassment to victims, urging faster action and accountability from service providers.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
KOLKATA: Justice Tirthankar Ghosh of the Calcutta High Court on Sunday expressed serious concern over the delay in removing obscene content from social media and online platforms, highlighting how victims often continue to face embarrassment and trauma due to this lack of timely action.
Speaking at the launch of eastern India’s first postgraduate MA/MSc course in Criminology and Criminal Justice by the National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS), Justice Ghosh said that while financial cybercrime investigations can trace the money trail to some extent, investigators struggle when it comes to blocking or removing obscene material from digital platforms.
“Victims are facing embarrassment and consequences of these not being removed or blocked by the concerned service providers. Investigators often fail to reach the originators or even the platforms hosting such content.”
Justice Ghosh observed.
Justice Ghosh also pointed out that people unfamiliar with digital banking face significant hardships when targeted by online fraud. Adding to this, he flagged a critical challenge faced by courts, inconsistencies between post-mortem reports and forensic expert opinions, which often complicate the adjudication process.
He emphasized that forensic science is crucial at both the investigation and trial stages, and the newly launched criminology course rightly places strong emphasis on this area.
Justice Ananya Banerjee, also present at the event, highlighted that India lacks a separate statute on victimology, though provisions for victim compensation exist.
“It is enlightening that the concept of victimology has been incorporated in the new courses, addressing the trauma, agony, and pain of the victim, along with restorative procedures to help them rebuild their lives,”
Justice Banerjee said.
She stressed that cybercrime and forensic technology must work hand in hand to ensure justice and victim support.
ALSO READ: Data Privacy Concerns in Dating Apps: Protecting Romance in the Digital Age
Adding a law enforcement perspective, West Bengal’s Director General (Cyber Crime) Sanjay Singh described cybercrime as a “tsunami” sweeping across India.
He revealed alarming figures:
- In West Bengal alone, around 400 cyber fraud complaints were filed in August 2025, with losses between Rs 3–4 crore daily.
- Nationally, annual cybercrime losses officially stand at Rs 30,000 crore, but unofficial estimates suggest the actual figure could be much higher.
- A typical cyber fraud involves money being routed through up to 1,000 accounts across 70–80 cities in 20 states, deliberately designed to confuse investigators.
Singh urged citizens to immediately report cybercrimes via the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (1093), stressing that the first response is to block the money flow before it disappears in laundering chains.
The newly launched two-year postgraduate course in Criminology and Criminal Justice at NUJS is the first of its kind in eastern India and the first offered by any national law university.
Justice Ghosh expressed hope that the program will bridge the gap between legal education, criminology, and forensic science, creating professionals better equipped to tackle evolving crimes, especially in the digital age.
