Offences & Penalties under the IT Act, 2000
The word ‘cybercrime’ has not been mentioned in Information Technology Act, 2000. It can be defined as a crime in which a computer is the object of the crime for hacking, phishing, spamming or used as a tool to commit an offence like child pornography, hate crime, etc.
Chapter X (Sections 65 to 74) contains various offences and prescribes for the offences. Various offences and their punishments are presented in chart form:-
| Section | Offence | Punishment |
| Sec 65 | Tampering with Computer Source Code | Imprisonment upto 3 years or fine upto Rs. 2 lakhs or both |
| Sec 66 | Computer Related Offences | Imprisonment upto 3 years or fine upto 5 lakhs or both |
| Sec 66-B | Dishonestly receiving stolen computer resource or communication device | Imprisonment upto 3 years and/or fine upto 1 lakh |
| Sec 66-C | Identity Theft | Imprisonment of either description upto 3 years and fine upto 1 lakh |
| Section 66-D | Cheating by personation by using computer resorce | Imprisonment of either description upto 3 years and fine upto 1 lakh |
| Section 66-E | Violation of Privacy | Imprisonment of either description upto 3 years and fine upto 2 lakh |
| Section 66-F | Cyber Terrorism | Imprisonment which may extend to imprisonment for Life |
| Sec 67 | Publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form | On first conviction, imprisonment upto 5 years and fine upto Rs 10 lakhs On subsequent Conviction imprisonment upto 5 years and fine upto Rs. 10 lakh |
| Sec 67-A | Publishing or transmitting of material containing the sexually explicit act, etc., in electronic form | On first conviction, imprisonment upto 5 years and fine upto Rs 10 lakhs On subsequent Conviction imprisonment upto 7 years and fine upto Rs. 10 lakh |
| Sec 67-B | Publishing or transmitting of material depicting children in sexually explicit act etc. in electronic form | On first conviction, imprisonment of either description upto 5 years and fine upto Rs 10 lakhs On subsequent Conviction imprisonment upto 7 years and fine upto Rs. 10 lakh |
| Sec 67-C | Intermediary internationally or knowing contravening the directions about preservation and retention of information | Imprisonment upto 3 years and fine |
| Sec 73 | Publishing electronic Signature Certificates false in certain particulars | Imprisonment upto 2 years and/or fine upto Rs. 1 lakh |
| Sec 74 | Publication for a fraudulent purpose | Imprisonment upto 2 years and/or fine upto Rs. 1 lakh |
Information Technology adds a new dimension to criminal law, presenting many challenges for law enforcement. At the front of law enforcement concern is the necessity to secure adequate training to combat these crimes. The Offences & Penalties under the IT Act, 2000 is read with the other statues like Indian Penal Code, etc.
Also Read: CYBER SEXUAL HARASSMENT LAWS IN INDIA
