An online academic session addressing Cyber Offences Against Persons was held on 27 March, 2026 at the Institute of Law, Nirma University, for students of Semester VIII. The lecture was organised under the aegis of the Centre for Criminal Law and Justice and was delivered by Dr. A. Nagarathna, who serves as an Associate Professor at the National Law School of India University, Bangalore.
Situating the discussion within the dynamic and continuously advancing technological environment, the speaker highlighted the ambiguity of the term “person” in cyber law, noting that failure to include both natural and legal persons has led to flawed adjudication, and questioned whether existing laws like the IT Act, 2000 and IPC are sufficient to address evolving cyber vulnerabilities. While common offences like hacking, phishing, and financial fraud are widely known, the session highlighted lesser-known yet significant cybercrimes such as corporate espionage, data diddling, salami attacks, logic bombs, and DDoS attacks. The speaker also traced the evolution of cyber law in India, noting that the perception of cybercrime as a “myth” changed after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, leading to amendments in the IT Act to address misuse of advanced technologies.
The latter part of the session examined key IT Act provisions, contrasting Section 67 on obscenity, which limits liability to publication or transmission, with the broader Section 67B, which extends liability to acts like collecting, browsing, advertising, or promoting, reflecting a stricter approach towards offences involving children and the shift to the term “Child Sexual Exploitative & Abuse Material.”
The session concluded with a discussion on intermediary liability and the principle of Safe Harbour, which provides immunity from legal liability subject to three key conditions: absence of active participation, lack of knowledge and the exercise of due diligence. The speaker also highlighted that the IT Act adopts a gender-neutral approach to offenders, contrasting with certain provisions of the IPC that remain gender-specific. Overall, the session explored the need for a nuanced understanding of cyber offences against persons, the relationship between legal interpretation, technological awareness and progressing realities of society.