Cybercrime probe cannot justify blanket debit freeze, says HC

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has ruled that investigating agencies cannot impose a blanket debit freeze on a person’s bank account when the alleged cybercrime transaction involves a specific amount. Restraint must remain proportionate to the suspected proceeds of crime, it held.

The court directed all banks and financial institutions within its territorial jurisdiction to follow the prescribed mechanism, maintain appropriate nodal arrangements and prominently display information about the procedure at branches and on their websites.