LAHORE, Feb 25 (APP): The Lahore High Court (LHC) was informed on Wednesday that an initial probe by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) had identified 200 digital links, 79 social media accounts, and 54 individuals allegedly involved in running a sustained campaign against the judiciary.
Appearing before the court, the Director General NCCIA stated that notices had so far been served on 34 of the identified individuals.
Justice Ali Zia Bajwa heard the petition filed by lawyer Chaudhry Pervez Elahi Bhaddar, who challenged an alleged character assassination campaign on social media targeting female judges of the high court.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Attorney General apprised the court, with reference to a report submitted by the Ministry of Interior, that the authority envisaged under Section 2-A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, would be constituted in due course, as the matter is currently under consideration by the federal government.
The DG NCCIA assured the court that the agency would make all possible efforts to prevent and curb any contemptuous or unlawful campaign targeting the judiciary. He undertook that all actions would be taken strictly in accordance with the law to safeguard the dignity, independence, and authority of judicial institutions and to promptly counter any attempt to undermine public confidence in the judiciary.
The court was also assisted by the amicus curiae, who highlighted various information technology tools available to curb the spread of illegal online content.
Taking note of the assurances, the court observed that no slackness should be shown by the agency in the discharge of its lawful duties. The DG NCCIA was directed to submit a comprehensive report at the next hearing, detailing the effective mechanisms currently in place to monitor and counter unlawful social media campaigns against the judiciary.