Bombay HC To Hear PIL Seeking Enhanced Cyber Security For Maharashtra Govt Websites

Mumbai: A PIL has been filed in the Bombay High Court concerning cyber-attacks on Maharashtra State government websites. The petition, filed by IT Consultant and Visiting Professor of Law Ruzbeh Dossabhoy Raja through advocates Ajinkya Udane and Jay Bhatia, seeks directions to the State and Central authorities to prevent cyber intrusions.

The petitioner claims that inadequate security measures and poor monitoring have led to official websites being compromised. He states that infected pages redirect unsuspecting visitors to a gambling website attempting to collect their personal data. Despite reporting the issue to the Maharashtra Cyber Helpline, the National Cyber Crime Helpline, and the Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In), no action was taken.

The plea highlights the lack of security infrastructure, such as web application firewalls, anti-virus software, and intrusion detection systems, on government servers. It also points to outdated Content Management Systems that allow cybercriminals to inject malicious code. The petitioner warns that such breaches could lead to phishing scams, fake e-challan payments, and fraudulent government orders.

The PIL urges the court to direct authorities to block infected websites, enhance security measures, register FIRs against perpetrators, and expedite the formation of a Cyber Task Force to safeguard government websites. A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Bharati Dangre has kept the matter for hearing next week.