Bengaluru: The high court emphasised the urgent need to strengthen Cyber Command Centre (CCC) set up by the govt on Sept 2 to deal with the sharp rise in cybercrime cases in the state.Justice M Nagaprasanna, in his May judgment, had directed setting up of the centre to effectively combat cybercrime cases. “This is what would hamper investigations if they are not brought under one roof as cases related to offences under Information Technology Act in 2021 were only 8,396. In 2025, it has grown to 30,000. The graph has climbed steeply, a chilling reminder of the exponential growth of cybercrime. Thus, CCC is not an option, but an imperative born of necessity,” the judge added. According to the information presented, 15,543 cases were filed under IT Act as reported at CEN (Cybercrime, Economic offences, and Narcotics) police stations, and 6,710 cases were recorded at other police stations in 2023. However, the projections from 2023 to 2025 indicate the cases at CEN police stations increased to 31,791 and at other police stations to 22,827, the judge noted. Mere establishment of CCC is not enough, the judge warned. “If it remains inert, it will only become a paper implementation agency in the face of the growing menace of cybercrime. CCC shouldn’t be a mere edifice of bureaucracy, but a paradigm shift — a beacon heralding a new dawn in the fight against cybercrime,” Justice Nagaprasanna observed. The director-general of police in charge of CCC has been told to submit a report to the court detailing progress in investigating cybercrimes and integration of all information and technology cases under the centre.The high court was hearing a petition filed by Bengaluru-based Newspace Research and Technologies Ltd. It had appointed a special investigation team (SIT), headed by senior IPS officer Pronab Mohanty, to probe alleged data theft and espionage charges involving the firm’s former president and employees.
