The government has decided to swiftly withdraw “speech offence”-related cases filed under cyber laws and release any individuals arrested in these cases immediately through legal processes.
The announcement came in a press release issued by the law ministry on Monday.
A total of 5,818 cases filed under the Information and Communication Technology Act, Digital Security Act, and Cyber Security Act were active across the country as of August.
Among these, cases filed for expressing opinions on digital platforms are categorized as "speech offences," while those involving computer hacking or fraud through digital devices are identified as "computer offences."
Currently, there are 1,340 ongoing cases related to speech offences. Of these, 461 cases are under investigation, while 879 are under trial in the country’s eight cyber tribunals.
Among the speech offence cases, 279 are under the ICT Act, 786 under the Digital Security Act and 275 under the Cyber Security Act.
Of the 1,340 speech offence cases, the 879 cases that are pending in tribunals will be withdrawn through coordination between the ministries of law and home affairs.
Investigating officers have also been instructed to promptly resolve the 461 cases under investigation by submitting final reports.