After a long period of lull, the IT department of Karnataka appears to have woken up. Under the leadership of the new IT Secretary, the State has unveiled certain welcome policies to give a boost to IT in Karnataka. One of the key policy announcements is the declaration of IT services as “Essential Services” and to protect it from the risks of bundhs, strikes and other interruptions to its 24X7 operations. Though the workforce in the IT industry may find it uncomfortable and claim that they may be exploited by the companies, this sacrifice is essential to keep the IT industry going and retain the global services running.
While we welcome the initiatives announced by the Karnataka Government in encouraging the industry in Karnataka particularly in Tier II and III centers, it is necessary to point out that IT cannot prosper in the State without adequate attention to Information Security and Cyber Law implementation. A law less jungle cannot be a fertile ground for attracting investment.
At present, Karnataka Government and more particularly the earlier IT Secretary (Mr M.N.Vidyashankar) has rendered Karnataka to be a State which can be called a “Cyber Crime Haven”. In Karnataka a cyber crime victim cannot seek cyber judicial assistance if the crime is committed by a company. Also no Company can seek redressal of its grievance under ITA 2008 since substantial parts of the Act have been ruled to be out of bounds for corporate entities.
Karnataka High Court has declined to intervene and correct the ridiculous state of law-less ness in the State and has contributed to the problem.
The undersigned has for the umpteenth time taken up the matter once again with the Chief Minister of the State. A copy of the letter written to the Chief Minister Mr Siddaramayya in this regard is available here.
Let’s hope that the new IT Secretary and the new Chief Minister understands why the undersigned is calling the State as “Cyber Crime Haven” and takes the necessary steps to correct this anomaly.
Without a correction of the Cyber Judiciary Status in India, international investors have no reason to look at Karnataka as a destination for their investments despite any other advantages that the Government may promise.
Naavi
