SC issues notice to Centre on PIL over rising cyber crimes

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday, January 15, sought a response from the Centre on a PIL alleging an “enormous rise” in cyber crimes and a “nuisance” of unsolicited calls in the country.

Observing that government agencies were doing their bit, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar issued a notice to the Department of Telecommunications.

“Yes, we understand the problem is there. Let the Centre respond,” the bench said, noting the PIL of one Gowrishankar from Bengaluru.

The plea sought a direction to telecom network operators to implement the calling name presentation service (CNAP).

The service, which facilitates identification of the caller’s name and is usually displayed in the caller ID section of the phone, may help recipients make informed decisions about calls and combat spam calls.