Punishment for identity theft
Section 66C of the Information Technology Act, 2000 deals with punishment for identity theft. Whoever, fraudulently or dishonestly make use of the electronic signature, password or any other unique identification feature of any other person, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine which may extend t The Act came into force on 17 Oct 2000.
Whoever, fraudulently or dishonestly make use of the electronic signature, password or any other unique identification feature of any other person, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine which may extend to rupees one lakh.
Section 66C, The Information Technology Act, 2000 (Act 21 of 2000).
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Naveen Makhija vs The State of Madhya Pradesh
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Where the prosecution proves through cogent evidence that an accused has created a fake social media profile in another person's name and used it to post obscene photographs and vulgar messages for the purpose of defamation and harassment, the conviction under Sections 66B and 66C of the Information Technology Act, 2000 is justified and should be upheld. However, in cases involving young first-time offenders without criminal antecedents, the court may exercise discretion to reduce the custodial sentence to the period already undergone while enhancing the fine to serve as a deterrent.
On this section: Punishment for identity theft - Applied to the creation of fake profile using complainant's name and identity
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Questions about Section 66C
What have the courts held on Section 66C of the Information Technology Act?
Naveen Makhija vs The State of Madhya Pradesh (28 Dec 2023) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Punishment for identity theft - Applied to the creation of fake profile using complainant's name and identity.
How do I find court cases under Section 66C of the Information Technology Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: IT Act 66C, section 66C IT Act, section 66C of the Information Technology Act. People searching for it also type it act 66c and 66d and it act 66c punishment. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with Naveen Makhija vs The State of Madhya Pradesh (28 Dec 2023).
When did Section 66C of the Information Technology Act come into force?
Section 66C of the Information Technology Act, commonly called identity theft, and cited as IT Act 66C, came into force on 17 Oct 2000, having been enacted on 09 Jun 2000. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 2. Definitions1304 words
- 87. Power of Central Government to make rules877 words
- 43. Penalty and compensation for damage to computer, computer system, etc506 words
- 46. Power to adjudicate370 words
- 89. Power of Controller to make regulations345 words
- 70B. Indian Computer Emergency Response Team to serve as national agency for incident response326 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 14 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.