Porn Clips Interrupt Delhi High Court Virtual Hearing; Probe Launched
Porn Clips Interrupt Delhi High Court Virtual Hearing; Probe Launched
Delhi High Court's virtual hearing was interrupted thrice as a hacker streamed explicit content, triggering a police cybercrime probe and a renewed focus on court cybersecurity.
Delhi High Court's virtual hearing was disrupted thrice on Wednesday as a participant logged in and played pornographic content. The attacker used the pseudonym 'Sh*tjeet Sighn', and at one point an audible message declared, "You've been hacked." The bench paused the PIL proceedings, and the session was temporarily suspended for lunch while judges considered next steps. The incident underscored concerns about the cybersecurity of the videoconferencing system used for court hearings and the safeguards in place to prevent unauthorised content from circulating.
The platform, based on Cisco Webex, allows lawyers, officials, litigants, and media to join hearings via their email IDs. While entry is controlled by the court master, the breach indicated that the option to share content remained vulnerable, prompting officials to review the controls on sharing and recordings. Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya stressed that recording of court proceedings is prohibited, and directed the registrar general to take administrative measures to prevent future incidents.
In response, the court reported the breach to Delhi Police's Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit, which handles cybercrime investigations, for a thorough probe. The incident adds to ongoing debates about cybersecurity in the judiciary and how to safeguard virtual proceedings from such disruptions. It also echoes a broader context: in 2024, the Supreme Court temporarily disabled its YouTube channel after a hacking incident, highlighting persistent vulnerabilities in online judicial platforms.
