The Supreme Court will hear a suo motu case on October 27 concerning victims of digital arrests connected to forged documents. The bench aims to address issues of cyber crime, judicial forgery, public trust, and protection of affected citizens.
The Supreme Court is set to hear a suo motu case concerning victims of digital arrests linked to forged documents on October 27.
As per the apex court’s cause list, the petition titled “In Re: victims of digital arrest related to forged documents” will be reviewed by a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi on Monday.
During the hearing on October 17, the court noted that strong, coordinated action at a national level was necessary to uncover the extent of criminal activities involving the forgery of judicial documents, cyber extortion, and the wrongful arrest of innocent individuals, particularly senior citizens.
The court requested responses from the Central government, the CBI, and other relevant entities, emphasizing that such offenses undermine the “very foundation” of public trust in the judicial system.
The court took notice of a case where a senior citizen couple in Ambala, Haryana, was digitally arrested based on counterfeit court orders, leading to an attempted extortion of Rs 1.05 crore.
The bench remarked,
“We are, however, aghast at the fact that the fraudsters fabricated judicial orders in the name of the Supreme Court of India and various other documents,”
It expressed serious concern over the forgery of documents and the blatant misuse of the Supreme Court’s name, seal, and judicial authority.
The bench stated that the fabrication of judicial orders with forged signatures of judges undermines public trust in the judicial system and the rule of law.
The court observed,
“Such acts constitute a direct assault on the dignity and majesty of this institution; therefore, such grave criminal acts cannot be treated as ordinary or routine offences of cheating or cybercrime,”
The apex court also called upon Attorney General R. Venkataramani to assist in the proceedings. It highlighted the increasing number of digital arrest cases across the nation and sought responses from the Centre, the CBI, and other parties after a 73-year-old woman informed Chief Justice B.R. Gavai on September 21 about the couple being defrauded using fake court orders.
The bench directed the Superintendent of Police for Cyber Crime in Ambala to submit a status report detailing the investigation into the case involving the senior citizen couple.
The issue was brought to the court’s attention by the complainant, who alleged that con artists produced a forged court order complete with a stamp and seal to facilitate the couple’s arrest and surveillance between September 3 and 16, ultimately defrauding them of over Rs 1 crore through various bank transactions.
The woman stated that the counterfeit court orders were presented via multiple audio and video calls by individuals impersonating CBI, ED, and judicial officers to execute the arrests.
The top court was informed that two FIRs had been filed with the cyber crime department in Ambala under different provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhitya.
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