The dossier, which has been forwarded to the criminal investigation department (CID), is an offshoot of the CBI monitoring internet activities in government offices. Sources in the CID confirmed having received the file, but were tightlipped on follow-up action.
"We found that the internet protocol with kar.nic.in was extensively used by government employees in the state to view pornography, particularly from Vidhana Soudha. The finding happened when our cyber experts conducted anti-terrorism surveillance. Vidhana Soudha employees were found visiting websites with porn," a senior officer said.
State government employees seem to like watching child porn, he said. This is the trend elsewhere in the country too.
The CBI officer said all state government servers are linked to the National Informatics Centre's servers. "Almost all government departments are on our radar for the past couple of years. From time to time, we have brought the porn fetish in Vidhana Soudha to the notice of the cyber-crime cell of CID. They have not taken any corrective measures for reasons best known to them," he said.
But CID sources claimed the information provided by the CBI has been kept in abeyance as it is classified as "anonymous".
"Using official computers to view porn is an act of indiscipline and attracts punishment. As per the provisions of the I-T Act, individuals can view porn on the internet through their own devices, but not through public or official devices," said an intelligence officer.
D S Ravindran, CEO, e-governance, said: "We have policies to prevent such misuse, and expect all government employees to be responsible. I will try to introduce filters and firewalls to block all offensive websites."
Lawyer C V Sudhindra said: "Watching pornography is no offence, but its publication or transmission is forbidden. The law requires cybercafes to block all obscene sites, including porn sites, and this applies to government offices as well. Using a public device at a cybercafe or a device kept at a public office to view porn is a most heinous act. Officials are liable to face serious action, including suspension."
What the law says
Whoever publishes or transmits or causes to be published in electronic form any material which is lascivious or appeals to the prurient interest, or if its effect is such as to tend to deprave and corrupt persons who are likely... to read, see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it, shall be punished on first conviction with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years and with fine which may extend to Rs 1 lakh. In the event of a second or subsequent conviction, with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years and also with fine which may extend to Rs 2 lakh. — Section 67 of the IT Act
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