Email ID in another person’s name not identity theft, Allahabad HC rules
The Allahabad High Court has stayed an FIR against individuals accused of creating an email ID in another person's name, ruling that this action does not constitute identity theft under Section 66-C of the IT Act. The court clarified that the law specifically targets electronic signatures and passwords, not email addresses.
Why it matters
This ruling sets a legal precedent regarding the interpretation of digital identity laws and the limitations of current cybercrime statutes in India.
NEWDELHI: The Allahabad high court has stayed an FIR against two people accused of creating an email ID in another person's name and using it to send fake complaints, observing that merely creating an email ID in someone else's name does not, prima facie, amount to identity theft under Section 66-C of the Information Technology Act. The order was passed on September 1, 2026.Why did the accused challenge the FIR?According to the court order, the FIR was registered on July 23, 2026, at Aaspur Devsara police station in Pratapgarh under Section 356(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 66-C of the Information Technology Act.The petitioners were accused of creating an email ID in the name of another person and using it to send fake complaints to various people, including the Lokayukta.They challenged the FIR, arguing that Section 356(2) of the BNS deals with criminal defamation and that such a…
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