Taking strong note of the alarming rise in cybercrime cases across Karnataka, the High Court on Wednesday directed the State government to establish a fully functional and empowered Cyber Command Centre (CCC) to address the menace of digital offences.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna, while issuing the order, emphasised that the CCC must be insulated from political interference and led by a senior police officer with sufficient tenure to ensure stability. Transfers of the Director General of Police heading the body should only occur in “exceptional cases” and after prior consultation.
“This is not a recommendation, it is an imperative. Without a specialised, empowered agency to tackle cybercrime, justice will remain a mirage for thousands of victims,” the judge observed.
The directions came during the hearing of a plea filed by Bengaluru-based defence-tech firm NewSpace Research and Technologies. The company had alleged that a former employee stole sensitive data before joining a rival and misused it to secure defence contracts.
In April, the court had constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations and mooted the idea of a dedicated cyber command centre. On Wednesday, Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty and Special Public Prosecutor B.N. Jagadeesha informed the bench that the State had accepted the proposal and already issued a government order for the CCC’s establishment.
However, Justice Nagaprasanna warned that the mere creation of such a body would not suffice. “If it remains inert, it would only become a paper implementation, in the face of growing menace of cyber crimes. This CCC should not be a mere edifice of bureaucracy, but a paradigm shift, a beacon heralding a new dawn in the fight against cyber crime,” he said.
The court also ordered the integration of the national cybercrime helpline ‘1930’ with the CCC’s systems, directing that every call and action must be “traceable and recorded.” It noted that the helpline currently operates in a legal “grey zone,” where funds are often frozen or released without filing FIRs.
The High Court flagged disturbing statistics, observing that cybercrime cases in the State had risen sharply from 8,396 in 2021 to nearly 30,000 in 2025. “Most disturbingly, jurisdictional police stations, not specialised cyber units, are now handling a majority of these cases, despite lacking training and tools,” the court remarked.
It directed that all cybercrime investigations should be consolidated under the CCC to ensure uniformity, expertise, and accountability.
The State government has been directed to submit an action taken report by September 24, the next date of hearing.
