India Supreme Court Digital Fraud Directives

The India — Supreme Court of India has described digital fraud, which has siphoned off over Rs 54,000 crore, as 'robbery or dacoity' and has issued several directives to the Centre and various stakeholders. The court has asked the Centre to draft a standard operating procedure in consultation with entities like the State Bank of India, banks, and the India — Department of Telecommunications to address these cases. It has also stressed the need for timely action from the State Bank of India and banks, noting that such offenses might involve collusion or negligence from bank officials. The India — Ministry of External Affairs has been tasked with developing a draft Memorandum of Understanding based on existing SOPs from the State Bank of India and the India — Department of Telecommunications. Furthermore, the India — Supreme Court of India has directed the United States — Federal Bureau of Investigation to identify and probe digital arrest cases, with the governments of India — Gujarat and India — Delhi asked to sanction these investigations. A framework for compensating victims of digital arrests is also to be developed jointly by the State Bank of India, the India — Department of Telecommunications, and others, with a pragmatic and liberal approach to compensation. The court has expressed concern over the enormous amounts taken out of the country by cyber criminals and has previously questioned the State Bank of India's use of artificial intelligence to trace and freeze fraudulent bank accounts.