Former CJI Calls On People Not To Fear Law Enforcement Agencies But Have Faith In Judicial System

New Delhi: Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna has asked the citizens of the country not to fear law enforcement agencies and rather have faith in the judicial system. He added that cybercriminals are exploiting the fear of law enforcement agencies to defraud people. He called upon the people to be vigilant and confident.

Khanna made these remarks at a national conference on ‘White Collar Crime’ held in the capital. The event was organised by Terapanth Professional Forum (TPF), where strategies for combating financial crimes, governance structures and ethical responsibilities were discussed to realise the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 1947’.

Former judges, policymakers, enforcement officers and legal experts deliberated on the emerging trends in financial crimes. A ‘Handbook of TPF: Responsibilities’ was also released at the event.

In his address, the former Chief Justice stated that approaching law enforcement agencies is not a crime but a part of people's responsibility. Unfortunately, many people still fear approaching the Police or investigative agencies, a fear that cybercriminals exploit. They cheat the people by threatening to digitally arrest them or register a case against them.
“Nothing prevents you, when faced with a white collar crime, from going to the Police. The Police is the investigating wing,” he emphasised. Citing a recent case, he said cyber fraudsters called an Indian-American citizen posing as ‘enforcement officers’ and told him that a money laundering case had been registered against him. The panicked victim shared his personal details, resulting in the disappearance of lakhs of rupees from his account. Khanna pointed out that if the victim had contacted the Police immediately, the criminals might have been nabbed.
The former Chief Justice appealed to the public not to trust any suspicious calls or emails and to immediately report them to the cyber helpline 1930 or the local Police.

He also stated that genuine enforcement agencies never ask for money or personal information over the phone or WhatsApp. He observed that while technology has empowered society, it has also provided new avenues to criminals. Therefore, the greatest tool to combat this challenge is for people to be digitally empowered and legally aware.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), Ashish Kumar Chauhan, said that white collar crime is not something new but something that has evolved with the evolution of society.

“Previously, people used to commit violent crimes, but now educated and sophisticated individuals can harm society without violence by misappropriating money or through fraud,” he said while pointing out that Shakuni's dice rigging prior to the Mahabharata war was also a type of white collar crime.

He added that today these crimes are being perpetrated through technology, such as by withdrawing small amounts of money from bank accounts, adulterating petrol or defrauding people through fake websites.

He cited an example of a fake video created in his name and defrauding people of money in the name of making investments. He underlined that now crimes are more financially driven than violent. Hence, it is important for people to be vigilant and maintain ethics along with the use of technology.

Meanwhile, the former Regional Director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia Region, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, gave a new dimension to the white collar crime. She said that white collar crime is not limited to financial fraud, but it also has deep ties to the health sector.

She explained that while procurement fraud, false insurance claims, counterfeit drugs and unethical clinical trials are common in healthcare, even more serious threats are substandard care, denial of services to the poor and disregard for regulatory safeguards. She explained that substandard healthcare is also a form of fraud because it violates the right to life.
Quoting a Lancet study, she underlined that poor-quality healthcare causes approximately 86 lakh deaths worldwide each year, of which 16 lakh occur in India alone. She added that 45% of deaths recorded in India in 2020 were of people who did not receive any medical care at the time of death. High out-of-pocket expenses further weaken poor families financially. She emphasised the importance of raising awareness about health rights and implementing effective regulatory mechanisms.

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