UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — IT Act, conspiracy charges in case over ex-Army chief book

Q1. In the FIR registered by the Delhi Police Special Cell in 2026 over the alleged unauthorised circulation of former Army Chief General M.M. Naravane's unpublished memoir 'Four Stars of Destiny', the criminal conspiracy charge has been invoked primarily under which one of the following provisions?

  • A. Section 120A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860
  • B. Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860
  • C. Section 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
  • D. Section 66 of the Information Technology Act, 2000

Q2. Section 66 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, read with Section 43, criminalises certain acts when done with dishonest or fraudulent intent. With reference to this provision, consider the following acts: 1. Securing access to a computer or computer system without the permission of its owner. 2. Downloading or copying data from a computer database without authorisation. 3. Publishing defamatory statements at a public meeting in the physical world. 4. Introducing a computer contaminant or computer virus into a computer system. Which of the above is/are correctly identified as offences punishable under Section 66 of the IT Act, 2000?

  1. Securing access to a computer or computer system without the permission of its owner.
  2. Downloading or copying data from a computer database without authorisation.
  3. Publishing defamatory statements at a public meeting in the physical world.
  4. Introducing a computer contaminant or computer virus into a computer system.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q3. The provision relating to criminal conspiracy, which was earlier housed under Sections 120A and 120B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, now stands consolidated under which one of the following provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023?

  • A. Section 48
  • B. Section 61
  • C. Section 103
  • D. Section 152

Q4. With reference to the criminal conspiracy regime under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS) as compared with the erstwhile Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC), consider the following statements: 1. Section 61 of the BNS consolidates within a single section both the definition and the punishment of criminal conspiracy, which under the IPC were carried in two separate sections (120A and 120B). 2. The BNS, 2023 came into force on 1 July 2024, replacing the IPC, 1860. 3. Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which was struck down by the Supreme Court, has been re-enacted in substance under the BNS, 2023. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Section 61 of the BNS consolidates within a single section both the definition and the punishment of criminal conspiracy, which under the IPC were carried in two separate sections (120A and 120B).
  2. The BNS, 2023 came into force on 1 July 2024, replacing the IPC, 1860.
  3. Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which was struck down by the Supreme Court, has been re-enacted in substance under the BNS, 2023.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3