Authored By: Bhavika Bhalgat
MMM's Shankarrao Chavan Law College Pune
Abstract
Dig ital e vid enc e is a d ata w hic h is stored or transm itte d e le ctronically, such as em ails, CC TV fo otage , soc ial m ed ia p osts, or call re cord s. It p lays a cruc ial ro le in alm ost ev ery crim inal inv estigation. De spite its im po rtance , dig ital e vid enc e is so m e tim es v iew ed w ith susp ic ion in c ourts, as it c an be e asily m anip ulate d. Artific ial Inte llige nce (A I) on one hand assists in p ro ce ssing and validating ev idenc e b ut on the othe r hand intro duce s challenge s like d ee pfake s and AI-ge ne rate d co ntent. This artic le explores Ind ia’ s leg al fram ew ork for dig ital e vid enc e, the inte gratio n of AI, and the challenge s of e nsuring authenticity, privac y, and fair p ro ce dure in an e ra o f sm art tec hnolog y. It also exam ine s forensic c halle nges ac ro ss em erging fie ld s such as c loud c om puting, soc ial m ed ia, and the Inte rnet o f Thing s (IoT).
- Introduction
In tod ay ‘s w orld, alm ost ev erything w e d o cre ate s a d ig ital foo tp rint whe ther it’s send ing an e m ail, c hatting on soc ial m ed ia, or m aking a phone call. These d ig ital fo otprints are im p ortant pie ce s o f ev id enc e that c ourts use to he lp solve c rim e s and settle dispute s. Unlike traditional pape r d oc um e nts, d igital ev ide nce is invisible, frag ile , and c an b e easily chang ed o r d eleted without le aving o bv io us sig ns. Justic e Raja Vijayaraghavan e xp lains that elec tro nic ev id enc e “ is intangib le , vo latile, and re quire s spe cial to ols for ex trac tion and p re serv ation” (Justice R aja Vijayarag havan,‘ Dig ital Fore nsic s Collec tio n, Pre servation & App rec iation of E le ctronic E vide nce ’ N JA Le cture, 2 02 1).
Artific ial Intellige nce (AI) im p rov es how we analyze this e vide nce by help ing d ete ct tam p ering and organiz ing data faste r. B ut AI also cre ate s c halle nge s. It c an prod uce fake v ide os or im age s called “ d ee pfake s” that lo ok real, m aking it hard for c ourts to know w hat inform atio n is trustw orthy. B e cause o f the se qualitie s, the law m ust ke ep up w ith tec hnolog y to m ake sure that d ig ital ev id enc e rem ains reliable , acc urate, and fair fo r e ve ryone invo lve d in le gal c ases.
- Methodology
This re search prov ide s a c om prehe nsiv e and a step -by-ste p app ro ach to analyse the leg al fram ew ork whic h surround s d ig ital ev ide nc e and the integ ration of artific ial inte llig enc e in fo rensic inve stig ations in India.
The first step involve d a de tailed re view o f p rim ary le gal te xts, including ke y statutes such as the Indian Ev idenc e A ct o f 18 72 , whic h und erpins the rule s o f ev id enc e in Ind ia, and the re ce ntly enac te d B haratiya Sakshy a A dhiniy am 20 23 , whic h m od ernize s the law c once rning elec tro nic e vid enc e. The analysis focuse d o n und erstand ing the statutory de finitions, ad m issibility c riteria, and proc ed ural safeg uards presc rib ed for dig ital ev id enc e, e spe cially in the conte xt of AI’s increasing role .
N ex t, the re search exam ine d jud ic ial d ecisions that hav e shape d the legal inte rpretatio n o f digital e vid ence in Ind ia. Landm ark c ases suc h as (20 14 ) 10 SC C 47 3 established c ritical stand ard s for adm issib ility, partic ularly the requirem ent for ce rtification unde r Se ction 65 B. O the r c ases like (20 20) 7 SC C 1 and (20 20 ) 9 SCC 1 61 w e re also studied to und erstand how co urts balance te chnical ev id enc e w ith leg al fairness and privac y co ncerns. These case s p rovid ed insights into ho w c ourts interpret the authentic ity, integ rity, and ad m issibility of d ig ital ev ide nc e am id te chno logic al adv ance s.
Follow ing this, a rev iew of se cond ary lite rature w as undertaken to cap ture sc holarly pe rspe ctiv es, ind ustry re po rts, and o fficial guide line s o n digital fo re nsic practice s. This include d acad em ic artic le s, go ve rnm e nt pub lic atio ns, and re po rts from forensic labo ratories that d isc uss c urre nt standards, te chnical challenge s, and b est p ractic es in handling dig ital ev id enc e. This literature re view help ed c ontex tualize le gal stand ard s w ithin practical forensic realitie s.
The sub seque nt step involv ed a co m parativ e analysis w here international leg al fram ew orks and stand ard s we re exam ine d. The study rev iew ed the EU’ s Artific ial Intellige nce A ct 202 4, the U S Fe de ral Rules o f Evid enc e, and the B udap est Co nve ntion on C yberc rim e 20 01 . Co m p aring these fram ew o rks to Ind ia’ s leg al p ro visions highlighted p otential areas fo r reform , e spe cially related to A I re gulatio n, cro ss-bo rd er data sharing , and validation protoc ols for fo re nsic to ols.
Finally, all the c ollec te d d ata and insights w e re synthe sized throug h critical do ctrinal reaso ning . This e ntailed interpre ting rele vant law s, case law , and sc holarly pe rspe ctiv es to ide ntify g aps or inc onsistenc ie s in Ind ia’ s leg al ap proac h. The aim w as to d ev elop re co m m e nd atio ns info rm e d by bo th internatio nal b est p ractic es and the unique c halle nges fac ed within the Ind ian c ontex t.
- Legal Framework Governing Digital Evidence
3.1 Definition and Recognition
The Info rm ation Tec hnolog y A ct of 2 000 de fine s an e lec tronic rec ord as any data, im ag e, so und, o r o the r inform atio n c re ated , sto re d, re ce iv ed , or sent elec tro nic ally. This m eans anything w hich is sav ed or transm itted b y com p ute rs o r dig ital dev ice s is m easured as an ele ctro nic re co rd. The B haratiya Sakshya A dhiniyam of 2 02 3 co nside rs the sam e m e aning for its use in co urts, w hic h allo ws dig ital file s like e m ails or pho to s to b e e vide nce as long as their authe ntic ity can be ve rified .
3.2 Admissibility: Sections 65A and 65B
Sec tio ns 6 5A and 65B o f the Indian E vid enc e Ac t says that the re m ust be a c ertific ate pro ving that the data is g enuine and hasn’ t b ee n tam pe re d w ith b efo re the d igital ev ide nce is acc ep te d in the c ourts o f law. Justice Vijayaraghav an c alle d these rules “ a co de w ithin a co de ” b ec ause the y form a sp ec ial set of instruc tions just for dig ital ev id enc e, w hich are sep arate fro m the usual rules.
3.3 Judicial Development
The Supre m e C ourt in (2 014 ) 10 SC C 47 3 highlighted the req uirem e nt of c ertific atio n. In the c ase o f (2020 ) 7 SCC 1 it is allow e d to be fle xible o nly if the original d ev ice is subm itte d. In (2 02 0) 9 SCC 161 , the co urt said that the acc used has the right to g et the exac t c op y of the digital e vid ence used ag ainst them , this is called “ c lone” fo r the sim ple reaso n that the ac cuse d can exam ine and pre pare their c ase prop erly.
- The Next Generation of Digital Forensics Tools
M od ern d igital fo re nsic to ols have d ev elo ped be yond just the re co ve ry o f de le ted m ate rial. AI d ev elop m e nt m eans fo re nsic prog ram s can inve stig ate ev id enc e from m ore than o ne dig ital source , m o re quickly and acc urate ly from m obile d ev ic es, co m puters, and clo ud storage (M agne t Fo re nsics, 2 02 5). This new g ene ration o f AI-po we red too ls c an quickly sift thro ugh v ast am ounts o f data to id entif y ke y digital artifac ts that c ould be crucial for an inve stig atio n, while also g enerating de tailed rep orts read y for prese ntation in c ourt.
One of the m o st im po rtant ad vantage s o f the se A I to ols is their ab ility to d ete ct and do cum ent any sig ns o f m anip ulated co nte nt, suc h as fo rged im age s, tam p ered vide os, or alte re d audio re co rd ing s. This c apability is esse ntial, esp ec ially as law enfo rcem e nt age ncie s inc re asing ly re ceiv e dig ital ev id enc e direc tly from the public thro ugh tip line s, m aking it vital to acc urate ly d ifferentiate be tw e en authe ntic and fake m ate rial (M ag net Fore nsic s Fo unding Princ iples, 2 02 5).
Dig ital forensics so ftw are c ontains AI ap plications that alle viate m any im pac tful inve stig ativ e ro les. Auto m ated im age categ orizatio n exped ite s sorting o f either hundred s or tho usands of p ho tos and vid eo s o f various typ es in a m atte r o f m inutes, gre atly re duc ing the tim e nee de d fo r m anual rev iew . Analysis o f co nve rsations and m etadata inc lud es c om m unic ations and historie s of e le ctronic files and c an e xp ose hidd en patterns o f co m m unication and inconsistenc ies.
Ad vanc ed to olsets also utilize large languag e m od els that allo w inve stig ato rs to ask a que stio n ab out larg e am o unts o f data, easily and effic ie ntly in natural languag e, that augm ents data acq uisitio n and analysis. To gethe r w ith these ad vanc em ents, m uch can b e do ne m ore quic kly, allow ing inve stig ations to m ov e m ore quic kly, as w ell as gre ate r c onfide nce in the value o f the ev id enc e be ing prese nted.
In add ition, the d ev elop of these A I to ols foc us on ethical co nsid eratio ns and are thoughtful of ho w they w ill be use d b y p rac titione rs, focusing o n transparenc y and acc ountability c ode d into the de sig n o f softw are, to cre ate c onfid enc e in forensic analysis results and m e et le gal stand ards (Police C hief M agazine , W hy AI is Re vo lutioniz ing Digital Fore nsic s (20 25 )).
Ov erall, AI-e nhance d dig ital forensic too ls are transform ing c rim e inve stig ation landsc apes b y am p lifying hum an e xp ertise with m ac hine effic ie ncy, e nabling law enforce m e nt to tackle c om plex cyb ercrim e s m o re effe ctive ly than ev er be fore.
4.1 Why Digital Forensics is Important in Investigations
Dig ital forensics aids the po lic e and c rim inal inve stig ato rs in solving c rim es co m m itte d w ith the help o f com p ute rs, m o bile de vice s, netw orks, and c lo ud storage . Fore nsic spec ialists have too ls that e nable them to re co ve r d eleted file s, and trac e co m m unications and gain acc ess to loc ked o r e ncrypted data that is v aluab le ev ide nce in co urt. W ith an e ve r-inc re asing rate o f cyb er-crim e happ ening in India, dig ital forensic s is m o re im p ortant than e ve r to asce rtain the truth and to b ring pe rpe trators to justice (SGT Unive rsity, 2 025 ). (De loitte India D igital Forensic M arket Re po rt 20 25 )
4.2 Challenges Faced by Digital Forensics
Althoug h there hav e be en im prov em ents, the digital forensics w orld still has num ero us challeng es. N ew and unp ro ve n to ols and te chno lo gy m ay no t b e fully re liable o r trustw orthy in w hat they reco ve r, and the re is a p ersiste nt shortage o f trained individ uals w ho can o pe rate these to ols re liab ly. C om po unding the issue, c ybe r thre ats are, and c ontinue to be , rap idly evolving, and inv estigators are expe cted to ad apt to this c onstant c hang e.
Ano the r p ro m ine nt issue is how to safeguard the p riv ac y of indiv id uals. Privac y rights are guaranteed unde r Artic le 21 of the Indian Co nstitutio n in Justic e K.S. Puttasw am y v U nio n of Ind ia (2 017 ) 10 SC C 1, and inv estigators m ust be c onside rate o f the ir privac y rig hts as the y attem pt to gather digital e vide nce .
- Cybercrime Trends in India and Forensic Implications
Ov er the years, Ind ia has see n a sudd en increase in c ybe rc rim e c ases. Re po rte d num bers show 20 8,4 56 cyb ercrim e c ases in 20 18 and 2 12 ,48 5 case s in the two m onths alo ne in 2 02 2. The refle ction of the afo re m e ntio ned num be r o f case s w as highe r than the e ntire pre vious ye ar (Ind ian C ybe r Crim e Re port, 20 22 ).
For exam p le, the incide nts o f we bsite hacking inc re ased fro m 1 7,5 60 in 20 18 to 26 ,1 21 c ases in 2 02 0. In 2 021 , it w as re po rte d that 78 % of Ind ian o rg anizatio ns face dransom ware attacks, w ith 8 0% of these attacks resulting in d ata enc ryption (De lo itte, 20 25 ).
These num b ers ind ic ate an inc re asing nee d for respo nding to and m anaging the volum e , co m p lex ity, and tec hnical sophistication of dig ital crim e s w ith ad vanc ed fo rm s of dig ital forensic c om pe te nce .
- Legal and Procedural Developments in India
Ind ia has passe d sev eral sig nific ant new law s to e nhance the use o f digital e vid ence and fo re nsic scie nce in inv estigations and co urts. The B haratiya Sakshya A dhiniyam 20 23 offe rs up dates to the adm issib ility o f ele ctro nic re co rds facilitating the ir use as ev ide nce . The B haratiya N ag arik Suraksha Sanhita 20 23 m andate s that all searche s and se izures be re co rd ed o n v ide o to prov ide transparenc y. The Digital Pe rso nal Data Protec tio n A ct 202 3 pro vide s guide line s to e nsure perso nal data is hand le d w ith caution during inve stig ations in orde r to pro te ct citizens’ privac y. The se d ev elop m e nts de m onstrate Ind ia’s rec og nition of the incre asing im po rtanc e of tec hnolog y in c rim e and a stro ng inte ntio n to b alanc e crim inal suspe nsio n w ith the p ro te ction of ind iv idual rig hts.
- Moving Forward: Building a Stronger Future for Digital Forensics and AI
To m ee t the c halleng es p re sented b y rap idly advanc ing te chno logy and to g et the m ost out o f AI in digital fo re nsics, se ve ral im p ortant ste ps ne ed to b e take n. First, lawm ake rs should up date e xisting law s to clearly inc lud e rule s on how AI-ge ne rate d ev ide nce sho uld be hand le d in co urts. This w ill surpass the biasness and he lp judg es and law yers to und erstand how to treat such ev ide nce in a better way.
Sec ond ly , the re nee ds to be e stab lishing a N atio nal Dig ital Forensics Authority. This authority w ould app rov e fore nsic m e tho ds and Al-b ased forensic too ls to e nsure the y are sound and prop erly use d. This will e nsure hig h stand ard s in all inve stig atio ns that invo lv e tec hnolog y.
Third , it is esse ntial to m andate e xp lic able Al system s. Such Al to ols m ust be de ve lop ed that fre ely de m o nstrate how the y arrive at co nclusions. This transparenc y w ill enab le judg es, law yers, and inve stig ato rs to b eliev e Al re sults and c riticize the m w hen nee de d.
Fourth, judg es and o the r leg al e xp erts m ust b e e duc ate d and trained be tter. They should le arn the new fore nsic te chnolo gies and internet law s so that they c an m ake w ell-inform ed d ec isio ns and keep up w ith the digital ag e.
Fifth, im ple m e nting b lockc hain te chnolo gy for trac ing digital e vide nce is stro ngly sugg ested .
Sixth, inte rnational co op eratio n m ust b e stre ngthene d. C ybe rc rim es and d ig ital ev ide nce o ften cross b orde rs, so co untries nee d to w ork to ge the r m ore c lo sely to share inform ation and he lp each o the r in inv estigations.
Finally, p ublic aw are ness abo ut d ig ital data and its leg al im p ortance sho uld be raised . W he n p eo ple unde rstand the v alue and risks of the ir digital ac tiv ities, the y c an be m ore resp onsible and p ro tec t them selve s be tter.
B y follow ing these step s, Ind ia c an b uild a stro nge r, faire r system to hand le digital ev ide nce and A I, e nsuring justice in a quickly chang ing te chno lo gic al landsc ape .
- Conclusion
Dig ital forensics is now critical to fighting cyb ercrim e , m ee ting law e nforc em ent’s de m and for trustwo rthy, v alid ate d e le ctronic p ro of. A I-b ase d tec hnolog ies have transfo rm e d ev ide nce e xam ination b ut po se thre ats that m ust b e c are fully c ontro lle d by stric t le gal and ethic al g uidelines o n the p art of c ourts. D ig ital ev ide nc e is broad er in sc op e, m ore p ersonally intrusiv e, m o bile, and req uire s distinc t training and too ls than p hysical e vid enc e
Ind ia’s de ve lop ing le gal re gim e, innov ativ e fo re nsic te chno lo gy, and re spe ct for priv acy rig hts fo rm a solid found atio n. Sustained coo pe ration be twe en p olic ym akers, fore nsic pro fessionals, and judiciary w ill b e esse ntial to future -proo f the integ rity of e vide nce and justice in the dig ital w o rld .
Reference(S):
Cases
(2 01 4) 10 SC C 47 3
(202 0) 7 SC C 1
(2 020 ) 9 SCC 1 61
(2 01 0) 7 SCC 2 63
(20 17) 1 0 SCC 1
5 09 U S 5 79 (1 99 3)
Legislation
Ind ian E vide nce A ct 18 72
B haratiya Sakshy a A dhiniy am 20 23
Info rm ation Tec hno log y A ct 20 00
Dig ital Pe rsonal D ata Protec tio n A ct 20 23
B haratiya Nag arik Suraksha Sanhita 2 023
EU Artificial Intellig enc e Ac t 2 02 4
B udap est Conv ention on Cyb erc rim e 20 01
Secondary Sources
Justic e Raja Vijayaraghav an,‘ Digital Fo re nsics Co lle ction, Prese rv atio n & Ap prec iation o f Elec tro nic E vid enc e’ N JA Le cture , 20 21
De loitte , Indian Digital Fo re nsic M arke t Re po rt (20 25 )
M agnet Forensic s,‘ Found ing Principle s o f AI’ (2 02 5)
http s://ww w .m agne tforensics.co m / found ing -p rincip le s-o f-ai-at-m ag net-fo re nsics/ acc esse d 1 3 Oc to be r 20 25
Police Chief M agaz ine ,‘ H ow AI Is Re vo lutioniz ing Digital Fore nsic s’ (6 Aug ust 20 25 )
IP & Leg al Filings,‘ Dig ital Forensics in India: B ridg ing Techno logy , Law , and Justic e in the C ybe r Ag e’ (2 02 5)
Ind ian Cyb er Crim e Rep ort 2 02 2
