Punishment for abetment of offences
Section 84B of the Information Technology Act, 2000 deals with punishment for abetment of offences. Whoever abets any offence shall, if the act abetted is committed in consequence of the abetment, and no express provision is made by this Act for the punishment of such abetment, be punished with the punishment provided for the offence under this Act. The Act came into force on 17 Oct 2000.
1[84B. Punishment for abetment of offences.--Whoever abets any offence shall, if the act abetted is committed in consequence of the abetment, and no express provision is made by this Act for the punishment of such abetment, be punished with the punishment provided for the offence under this Act.
Explanation.--An act or offence is said to be committed in consequence of abetment, when it is committed in consequence of the instigation, or in pursuance of the conspiracy, or with the aid which constitutes the abetment.]
Section 84B, 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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Vimalakar Reddy Bathena vs State of Karnataka
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Section 72A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 applies only when the person aggrieved by the disclosure of personal information is the person whose personal information has been disclosed. A person cannot invoke Section 72A for disclosure of information relating to an account or personal data that does not belong to him. Furthermore, Section 72A requires that the person invoking it must be bound under a lawful contract with the person making the disclosure. In the absence of these essential elements, prosecution under Section 72A constitutes an abuse of the process of court and is liable to be quashed under Section 482 CrPC.
On this section: The court held that Section 84B, which deals with abetment of offences under the Act, cannot be invoked when the principal offence itself is not made out. Since Section 72A was not attracted to the facts, the question of abetting such an offence does not arise.
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 84B
What have the courts held on Section 84B of the Information Technology Act?
Vimalakar Reddy Bathena vs State of Karnataka (06 Jun 2019) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: The court held that Section 84B, which deals with abetment of offences under the Act, cannot be invoked when the principal offence itself is not made out. Since Section 72A was not attracted to the facts, the question of abetting such an offence does not arise.
How do I find court cases under Section 84B 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 84B, section 84B IT Act, section 84B 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 Vimalakar Reddy Bathena vs State of Karnataka (06 Jun 2019).
When did Section 84B of the Information Technology Act come into force?
Section 84B of the Information Technology Act, cited as IT Act 84B, 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.