Judiciary must be equipped to tackle cyber terror

Supreme Court Judge P Sathasivam says individual rights should be balanced with national security

PTI | September 3, 2012



Voicing serious concern over the advent of cyber terrorism, Supreme Court Judge P Sathasivam today said judiciary should be well equipped to deal with such challenges and balance individual rights with the security of the nation.

Several of the most dangerous terrorist organisations were using information technology and "Our judiciary must be well equipped to deal with such challenges and uphold the rule of law balancing individual rights with security of the nation," he said at a seminar as part of the sesquicentennial celebrations of the Madras High Court here.

"Terror, terrorists, terrorism and trafficking, especially in drugs, are the burning issues of our time. In the present scenario, the world is confronting terrorism in its varied manifestations, which has shaken the very foundation of social fabric and world peace," the Judge said.

Though IT revolution has fuelled economic expansion, along with these benefits has come the dark side of IT -- cyber terrorism, he said.

"The idea of terrorists surreptitiously hacking into computer system to introduce a virus, to steal sensitive information, deface or swamp a website, or turn off a crucial public service or disrupt communal harmony as witnessed recently seriously concerns governments to take appropriate remedial action," Justice Sathasivam said.

Talking about the benefits of Right to Information Act, he said some habitual mischief makers were, however, misusing it to burden the establishment by seeking frivolous information.

Noting that the Supreme Court has taken a serious note of mischief makers in a latest judgement, he said the RTI Act must be a watchdog for governance.

"But the need of the hour is to balance the Right To Information with good governance," Sathasivam said.

Comments

 

Other News

How to realise the full transformative potential of PM-JAY

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), a welfare scheme which covers approximately 45 crore beneficiaries across India, provides cashless health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year. It is the largest health insurance scheme which helped crores of poor families by reducing out-of-pocket expend

The missing men in India`s family planning story

Every pregnancy requires two people. Yet India`s family planning programme continues to ask only one of them to bear almost all of its medical consequences. The newly released National Family Health Survey-6 (2023-24) confirms just how entrenched this asymmetry remains: 36.5% of currently married women a

`Development must be judged beyond GDP, with rights and justice at core`

Delivering the IXth Chief Justice M.C. Chagla Memorial Lecture on ‘Human Rights and Sustainable Development Goals’, in Mumbai Friday,  former Chief Justice of India Bhushan R. Gavai questioned whether conventional economic indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP), national income,

RTI exposes Rs 16,909 crore cost blowout on Mumbai-Goa Highway

Seventeen years after the centre first approved the widening of National Highway 66 between Mumbai and Goa into a four-lane highway, a fresh RTI reply has revealed a sharp escalation in the project`s sanctioned cost.   According to the RTI reply obtained by activist Jeetendra

"India`s semiconductor ecosystem is expanding rapidly"

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated SEMICON India 2026 in New Delhi. Addressing the occasion and highlighting the significance of the event`s fifth edition, the PM drew a parallel between the launch of Semicon India and Vishwakarma Diwas. He pointed out the beautiful coincidence of

Cabinet approves raising EPFO wage ceiling from Rs.15,000 p.m. to Rs.25,000

The union cabinet, chaired by the prime minister, has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Labour & Employment to enhance the wage ceiling for mandatory coverage under the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) from Rs.15,000 to Rs.25,000 per month. The decision is expected to bring

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter