Kolkata, August 3, 2025 – The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) Kolkata bench has suspended all video conferencing hearings indefinitely following a significant cybersecurity breach that disrupted court proceedings on July 30, 2025.
Breach Details
During an online hearing at approximately 2:52 PM, an unauthorized individual using the profile name “John Galvenstone” infiltrated the virtual courtroom and displayed inappropriate content for three to four minutes. Court officers struggled to halt the screen sharing, forcing the hybrid court operator to temporarily terminate the meeting before proceedings could resume.
The court session eventually resumed at 4:50 PM after the disruption was resolved.
Immediate Action Taken
The Bidhannagar Cyber Cell has registered a case under multiple sections of the Information Technology Act (66C, 66E, 67, and 67A) following a complaint from senior NCLT functionaries. Investigators have begun tracing the IP address and collecting digital evidence related to the breach.
Suspension of Virtual Operations
In response to the security incident, NCLT has issued an official order suspending all video conferencing hearings at its Kolkata bench with immediate effect. The suspension will remain in place “until clearance is received from NIC [National Informatics Centre] confirming that the systems are secure.”
All stakeholders are now required to appear physically before the Kolkata bench until virtual hearing facilities are restored with enhanced security measures.
Growing Cybersecurity Concerns
This incident highlights ongoing cybersecurity challenges facing India’s judicial system. Similar breaches have affected other courts, including the Karnataka High Court in December 2023 and NCLT Mumbai in late 2024, both of which temporarily suspended virtual proceedings following hacking incidents.
The compromised virtual court link had been operational since December 14, 2022, and was last renewed on October 23, 2024, operating under the official email ID registrar-kol@nclt.gov.in.
The NCLT is working with cybersecurity experts to implement additional safeguards before resuming virtual hearings.
