DIGITAL FORENSICS AND LEGAL LIABILITY IN ORGANIZED DOXXING AGAINST WOMEN IN INDIA: PROVING CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY IN THE ERA OF MODERNIZED CRIMINAL LAWS
AUTHOR – ATHUL S, LLM STUDENT AT CRIMINAL LAW AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION, TNDALU – SOEL
BEST CITATION – ATHUL S, DIGITAL FORENSICS AND LEGAL LIABILITY IN ORGANIZED DOXXING AGAINST WOMEN IN INDIA: PROVING CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY IN THE ERA OF MODERNIZED CRIMINAL LAWS, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 6 (9) OF 2026, PG. 432-442, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.
ABSTRACT
The rapid democratization of digital infrastructure in India has catalysed a paradigm shift in Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV). Among these emerging digital threats, organized doxxing the non-consensual aggregation and public dissemination of private identifiable data has mutated into a systematic tool for psychological terror, socio-political silencing, and communal polarization, targeting women from marginalized communities. This paper examines the technical architecture and forensic life cycle of organized doxxing networks, exposing the statutory vulnerabilities of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, concerning publicly available data. By analysing the structural mechanics of the Sulli Deals and Bulli Bai syndicates, this study explores how advanced digital forensics, Endpoint Forensics, and Social Network Analysis (SNA) serve as procedural prerequisites to prove a “meeting of minds” under Section 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Finally, it evaluates the stringent evidentiary mandates of Section 63 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), 2023, the searchand-seizure safeguards of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, and administrative accountability under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) 2025 Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
Keywords: Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence, Organized Doxxing, BNS 2023, BSA 2023, Digital Forensics, Criminal Conspiracy, Social Network Analysis.