India is tightening its cybercrime enforcement framework. The Ministry of Home Affairs has proposed a change to the Information Technology Act. The proposal would require an officer above the rank of Inspector, such as an ACP or DCP, to investigate cybercrime cases. The change has not yet become law. The proposal follows a parliamentary panel recommendation to assign cybercrime investigations to officers trained in digital forensics and incident response. Concurrently, the Supreme Court has reinforced strict evidentiary standards for electronic records, ruling that CCTV footage and call detail records are inadmissible without the mandatory certificate under Section 65B of the Evidence Act. These developments signal a shift toward greater investigative specialization and procedural rigor in handling digital offences.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has stepped up enforcement against organised cybercrime networks under Operation Chakra-VI. It carried out coordinated searches at 89 locations across 20 states in connection with “digital arrest” frauds in which victims were defrauded of more than Rs 42 crore in total. The agency traces fraud proceeds through financial and technical analysis of bank account records and online access data. This approach demonstrates the increasingly sophisticated forensic toolkit needed to dismantle organised cybercrime syndicates. This evolving landscape of heightened regulatory scrutiny, stringent evidentiary requirements, and complex digital fraud investigations underscores the critical importance of specialized legal expertise at the intersection of technology and criminal law, which is precisely the domain in which Advocate Anik has developed his professional focus.
Born in 1984 in a village in Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal, Anik M. Iktear Uddin completed early schooling there up to the eighth standard before moving to Bangalore in 1999. He finished SSLC in 2001 and PUC in 2003, graduated from Bangalore University’s five-year LL.B. programme in 2008, and completed a two-year full-time LL.M. in Business Law and Corporate Law at University Law College, affiliated with Bangalore University, in 2010 with second rank and First Class distinction. His legal career began in 2006, while he was still studying, when he provided administrative support at a Malleswaram law firm and worked with Legal Troubleshooting on property title verification and data-protection matters. He also taught part-time at a Bangalore business school. In 2010, he joined Deshraj and P. C. Reddy Chambers, a firm established in 1984, and stayed until July 2012. He then became a Legal Associate at Dell India Pvt. Ltd., handling contracts, regulatory compliance, and litigation. He later returned to private practice as Partner and Co-Founder at Prime Legal. From 2015 to 2019, he worked with ANI Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (Ola Cabs), holding senior legal and law-enforcement responsibilities. He managed legal work for Ola Fleet Technologies, Foodpanda, and Taxi for Sure. He additionally coordinated with government departments and external counsel on litigation, regulatory and corporate matters, and worked with law-enforcement agencies on their requests.
In 2019, he returned to full-time practice with Prime Legal, representing individuals and organisations before High Courts, civil and criminal trial courts, and tribunals. His practice spans civil and criminal litigation, cybercrime, corporate and commercial law, consumer disputes, intellectual property, company law, labour and employment, family and matrimonial disputes, arbitration and regulatory matters. He advises companies in technology, fintech, recruitment and transportation. His focus on cybercrime and technology law has featured in media interviews on cybercrime investigations, victim rights, reporting procedures, and fund recovery. In a 2024 interview, he discussed cybercrime prevention and legal remedies for digital offences. The published interview described him as having experience in more than 30,000 cybercrime cases. He has also addressed fintech, cryptocurrency businesses and technology platforms, discussing digital transactions and cryptocurrency-related fraud.
He has handled corporate affairs and crisis management, advising on regulatory issues, government relations, law-enforcement requests and business disputes. He has participated in discussions on regulatory frameworks for taxi and bike-taxi services, government restrictions and regulatory actions, and advised companies during industrial or operational disruption, including liaison with government departments. His legal commentary has appeared in Indian media on cybercrime, digital evidence, matrimonial disputes, domestic violence, family law, arbitration, cheque-bounce proceedings, consumer protection and legal rights. In 2025, The Times of India published a profile on his work at the intersection of law, technology and social issues. Other outlets have interviewed him on domestic violence, family law and criminal litigation.
Between 2012 and 2015, he served as a conciliator with the District Legal Services Authority, participating in mediation and settlement proceedings and assisting in a large number of disputes. He has undertaken pro bono representation for economically disadvantaged litigants and worked on legal awareness initiatives for cybercrime, consumer rights and access to justice. Through Prime Legal, he continues to support legal aid and public awareness programmes. He has represented individuals, corporate entities and organisations in criminal law, corporate litigation, cybercrime, financial fraud and consumer disputes. According to reports, he has represented clients in proceedings before the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Central Crime Branch and other law-enforcement agencies. He worked as a Special Public Prosecutor in significant double-murder cases. He has advised cryptocurrency exchanges, digital payment platforms and technology businesses on legal and regulatory issues.
His publications include Shedding Light on Cybercrime: Understanding Victim Rights and Digital Justice (2025); Complete Guide to Muslim Property: Muslim Property Partition in India (2025); “Deception, Honeytraps, and Financial Exploitation in Personal Relationships: Legal Pathways for Protection and Redress” in Indian Institute of Legal Research, Vol. 34 (Special Issue 1), pp. 79–100; and Justice Written in the Absence of Law (2026). Awards include Karnataka Business Samrat Awards for Best in Legal Services (Bengaluru); Certificate of Excellence (2024) for Prime Legal; Iconic Personality of 2026 (The Popular Story); Certificate of Commendation for Legal Excellence (2026); and Life Fellow Member, Directorial Advisor Consortium.
