CYBERCRIME AGAINST WOMEN IN INDIA: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK, ENFORCEMENT GAPS AND ACCESS TO JUSTICE
Akshita Dixit, 1st-Semester B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) Student at The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Gujarat (India)
The rapid expansion of digital technology has transformed communication, education, employment and social interaction, but it has simultaneously created new spaces for harassment, exploitation and abuse. Women increasingly encounter cyber offences such as cyberstalking, impersonation, identity theft, online harassment, non-consensual dissemination of intimate material, morphing, cyberbullying and other forms of technology-facilitated abuse. The nature of these offences makes them particularly challenging because perpetrators may operate anonymously, evidence can be altered or deleted rapidly, and harmful content can spread across multiple jurisdictions within a short period. This paper examines the Indian legal framework applicable to cybercrime against women and evaluates the extent to which existing laws and institutional mechanisms respond to the distinctive difficulties associated with online offences. It studies relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, together with significant judicial decisions concerning online harassment, privacy, intermediary responsibility and unlawful digital content. The paper further examines institutional mechanisms including the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre. Particular attention is given to under-reporting, difficulties in identification of perpetrators, preservation and admissibility of electronic evidence, intermediary cooperation, privacy concerns and the emotional and social consequences experienced by victims. The study adopts a doctrinal methodology supported by secondary literature and government materials. It argues that although India possesses several overlapping legal remedies, the framework remains fragmented and its effectiveness depends substantially upon implementation, technological capacity and victim-oriented reporting mechanisms. The paper proposes measures aimed at improving investigation, digital evidence handling, institutional coordination, awareness and access to justice.
| 📄 Type | 🔍 Information |
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| Research Paper | LawFoyer International Journal of Doctrinal Legal Research (LIJDLR), Volume 4, Issue 3, Page 2200–2219. |
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| This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License . | © Authors, 2026. All rights reserved. |