I cannot be wrong because I am the odd man out stating that the amendments are strict. I also think that I am not the odd man saying so. Any body who can understand the provisons can come only to the conclusion. If there is any difference it would be to the extent of how strict it is and whether it is so strict as to scare human rights activists. I leave this debate to revolve around my suggestion on Netizen Rights Protection mechanism.

If you have any doubt, let me say that I am in favour of the amendments as proposed in the 2008 version. I was against the 2005 and 2006 version and any change in my opinion is because the 2008 version is totally different from 2005/2006 versions and incorporates many security oriented suggestions supported by me earlier.

You are misrepresenting when you state Judiciary has endorsed your stand. You are referring to the speech of Justice Sirpukar in a seminar in Trivandrum in which it is reported to have passed some views. Praveen Dalal or Perry4law is a non entity as for as Justice Sirpukar was concerned when he spoke and you donot know if he was referring to the current ITA 2000 or the amendments of 2005 or 2006 or 2008 when he spoke.

There is official confirmation now that the President’s assent was granted to the Bill on February 5, 2009. Find out the source. A copy of the amended bill constructed earlier out of the Parliamentary proceedings is already on my site since last week of December. A similar document will be publsihed in due course by the Government publsihers also shortly.

You are living in a world of fantacy when you think that the Bill after the assent of the President will not be notified. Congress knows that if it resorts to such tactics, it will yield a major ground to BJP in the elections. We will remind Mr Chidambaram if necessary if there is undue delay in the notification. Anyway this neing an amendment act and not the original act, I suppose it will be notified sooner than it normally takes for a fresh act to be notified.

If you think Pr Praveen Dalal knows what he is doing, and there are constitutional improprieties that warrant that the Bill is aborted, I suggest he files a PIL in Supreme Court for the purpose. Let’s see what the Court decides.

“The Bill has already received the assent of the President and we will know the date of effectiveness soon. In my opinion the amended act is quite strict and Assocham’s views are not fully justified”.

This is very confusing. It is not clear whether you are in favour of the amendments or against it? Or are you opining according to circumstances?

In any case, Naavi you are wrong for many reasons.

Firstly, you are the odd man out if you are supporting the IT Amendment Bill, 2008. Except you none has claimed the amended IT Act, 2000 be strict and appropriate. It seems now you are falling back from your criminal friendly stand, for reasons best known to you.

Secondly, it is good to see that even the Indian Judiciary has now endorsed the opinion and views of Mr. Praveen Dalal and Perry4Law.

Thirdly, there is no official and governmental source that has either posted the amendment bill or confirmed the presidential assent (at least not to my knowledge).

Fourthly, as you are aware a mere presidential assent does not make a bill an act. The government has yet to notify the amended bill. That has still not happened and will never happen as no government can afford to go to elections with such blatant mockery of the constitution of India. The way in which the amended bill has been passed is really unconstitutional. I wonder why the Supreme Court of India or the Delhi high court has not taken suo motu action of declaring the bill unconstitutional. This is more so after the recent endorsement of a weak cyber law by the Indian Judiciary.

Finally, it is good to have cyber law, cyber security and cyber forensic specialists and experts like Mr. Praveen Dalal who is responsible for keeping the cyber law of India reasonable and non-arbitrary from governmental apathy towards cyber law and cyber security. Your contrary stand is really depressing as that may ruin the already weak cyber law regime of India.