Digital arrest crackdown: Centre forms multi-agency panel as Supreme Court set to hear the matter

The status report said IDC, constituted in pursuance of this, has been “mandated, inter alia, to examine real-time issues faced by enforcement agencies, consider the recommendations of the Learned Amicus Curiae along with the directions issued by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, and to identify relevant legislations, rules, circulars and implementation gaps, suggest corrective measures, and provide inputs for further directions, as may be required by the Hon’ble Court.”

It said the Committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the special secretary (Internal Security), MHA, with representation at the level and above of joint secretary officers from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Law & Justice (MoLJ), Ministry of Consumer Affairs (MoCA), Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), National Investigation Agency (NIA), Delhi Police, and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), with the CEO, I4C acting as Member-Secretary.

“The Committee has, notably, been directed to meet at regular intervals to ensure time-bound and coordinated compliance.”

Extensive deliberations

The government said IDC’s first meeting was held in December 2025, and “has done extensive deliberations on the issues and recommendations” submitted by Amicus Curiae Senior Advocate N S Nappinai and the directions passed by the court.

The report said that during the meeting, it was submitted by the “representatives of DoT, MeitY and RBI that they need certain clarifications on the recommendations” given by the amicus curiae before the Court.

Accordingly, a virtual meeting was held on January 2, 2026, with the amicus curiae and representatives of I4C, RBI, DoT, and MeitY in this connection. “During the said meeting…the…Amicus Curiae clarified issues and recommendations pertaining to the concerned stakeholders.”

Further, at its first meeting, the IDC decided that all members “should submit written inputs on the action points identified during deliberation of the meeting”. “Accordingly, the minutes of the meeting have been circulated amongst the committee members to submit an action taken report from their end.”

After the IDC meeting, DoT and RBI have submitted detailed inputs, “which require further deliberations by the Committee in the next meeting”. “Further, the input from other members of the Committee is yet to be submitted to the committee,” the government said.

Continuing with the deliberations, MeitY convened another meeting with IT intermediaries on January 6, 2026, which was attended by the amicus curiae and representatives of I4C, MHA, Department of Telecom, Google, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Microsoft.

The government prayed that it be given at least one more month “to enable the Respondents to obtain inputs from the remaining members of the Inter-Departmental Committee and to undertake further deliberations thereon, so as to place a consolidated and considered outcome before” the court.