Bombay High Court Blocks Hacker Group from Revealing School Data

Mumbai: In a significant move, the Bombay High Court has restrained a hacker group and unknown individuals from disclosing allegedly hacked sensitive information about children enrolled in schools run by a charitable trust and a corporate entity in Mumbai and abroad. The court described the situation as “most disturbing” during its deliberations last week.

The case was brought to the court's attention after the trust and the corporate entity received a ransom email demanding $750,000. The hackers threatened to make confidential information public if their demands were not met. Following this, an email dated June 10 was sent to a parent, divulging highly sensitive details about certain students.

Justice Arif Doctor, in a June 12 order, emphasized the potential harm that could arise from the disclosure of such sensitive information, particularly concerning the mental health of children. He stated that such revelations could have "grave and deleterious effects" on the children involved.

The High Court also directed Google to block the email IDs used by the alleged hackers. After hearing arguments from senior counsel Birendra Saraf, the court agreed that an ex-parte order was necessary to prevent further harm. Saraf argued that notifying the other side at this stage could defeat the purpose of seeking urgent relief.

The petitioners highlighted that the two entities manage multiple educational institutions, where thousands of children receive education. The court's intervention aims to safeguard the privacy and well-being of these students.