Chapter VII OFFENCES AND PENALTIES

Whoever, with the intention of causing harm or mischief to the holder of a UNICORE number, or changes or attempts to change any core data shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year and shall also be liable to a fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees.

Whoever, not being authorized to collect core data under the provisions of this Act, by words, conduct or demeanour pretends that he is authorized to do so, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with a fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees or, in the case of a company, with a fine which may extend to one lakh rupees or with both.

Whoever, not being authorized by the Authority, intentionally,-

1. (a) accesses or secures access to the Core Digital Data Repository;
2. (b) downloads, copies or extracts any data from the Repository or stored in any removable storage medium;
3. (c) introduces or causes to be introduced any virus or other computer contaminant in the Repository;
4. (d) damages or causes to be damaged the data in the Repository;
5. (e) disrupts or causes disruption of the access to the Repository;
6. (f) denies or causes a denial of access to any person who is authorised to access the Repository;
7. (g) reveals, shares, uses any core data in contravention of the Act, or
8. (h) steals, conceals, destroys or alters or causes any person to steal, conceal, destroys or alter any computer source code used by the Authority with an intention to cause damage, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year and shall also be liable to a fine which shall not be less than one lakh rupees.

Whoever, being a requester, uses the core data in contravention of the Act, shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to one year or with a fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees or, in the case of a company, with a fine which may extend to one lakh rupees or with both.

Whoever, being a Core Data Collection Agency or a requester, fails to comply with the requirements of the Act, shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to one year or with a fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees or, in the case of a company, with a fine which may extend to one lakh rupees or with both.

Whoever commits an offence under this Act or any rules or regulations made thereunder for which no specific penalty is provided elsewhere than this section, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with a fine which may extend to twenty-five thousand rupees or, in the case of a company, with a fine which may extend to one lakh rupees, or with both.

1. (1) Subject to the provisions of sub-section (2), the provisions of this Act shall apply also to any offence or contravention committed outside India by any person, irrespective of his nationality;
2. (2) For the purposes of sub-section (1), the provisions of this Act shall apply to any offence or contravention committed outside India by any person, if the act or conduct constituting the offence or contravention involves any data in the Repository.

1. (1) No court shall take cognizance of any offence punishable under this Act, save on a complaint made by the Authority or any officer or person authorized by it.
2. (2) No court inferior to that of a Chief Metropolitan Magistrate or a Chief Judicial Magistrate shall try any offence punishable under this Act.