Preservation and retention of information by intermediaries
Section 67C of the Information Technology Act, 2000 deals with preservation and retention of information by intermediaries. Intermediary shall preserve and retain such information as may be specified for such duration and in such manner and format as the Central Government may prescribe. The Act came into force on 17 Oct 2000.
67C. Preservation and retention of information by intermediaries.–(1) Intermediary shall preserve and retain such information as may be specified for such duration and in such manner and format as the Central Government may prescribe.
(2) any intermediary who intentionally or knowingly contravenes the provisions of sub-section (1) shall be 1[liable to penalty which may extend to twenty-five lakh rupees].]
Section 67C, The Information Technology Act, 2000 (Act 21 of 2000).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
Referred to by 1
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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Dhruben Guraldas Balani v. State of Gujarat
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
In electronic-evidence/criminal-process context, Court quoted and applied Supreme Court directions that appropriate rules/directions be framed under IT Act powers such as s.67C for preservation/retention of trial data by telecom/ISPs, chain of custody and metadata, until such rules are formulated; directions to apply in proceedings meantime.
On this section: Cited s.67C (preservation and retention of information by intermediaries) as the statutory hook for data-retention rules pending Central framing.
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.
Made under this section, and citing it
1 instrument states that it was made under this provision — the power to make it comes from here, so a change to any of them changes what this section requires in practice. Newest first.
Questions about Section 67C
What have the courts held on Section 67C of the Information Technology Act?
Dhruben Guraldas Balani v. State of Gujarat (06 Jan 2022) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Cited s.67C (preservation and retention of information by intermediaries) as the statutory hook for data-retention rules pending Central framing.
How do I find court cases under Section 67C 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 67C, section 67C IT Act, section 67C of the Information Technology Act. 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 Dhruben Guraldas Balani v. State of Gujarat (06 Jan 2022).
What should I read with Section 67C of the Information Technology Act, and has it changed?
1 other provision in this corpus refers back to it. The rules and notifications made under it are where it actually bites, and there is one: most recently Information Technology (Preservation and Retention of Information by Intermediaries Providing Digital Locker Facilities) Rules, 2016 (2016).
When did Section 67C of the Information Technology Act come into force?
Section 67C of the Information Technology Act, cited as IT Act 67C, 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 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.