New Delhi

January 29, 2026

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, has entrusted C-DAC Kolkata, in collaboration with the University of Delhi and Jadavpur University, with a prestigious joint research project titled “Automation of End-to-End Application, Pre-Assessment, and Assessment Process with Dashboard for the Scheme of Section 79A of the IT Act, 2000 for Notification of Examiners of Electronic Evidence.”

The project is being technically led by C-DAC Kolkata, leveraging its long-standing national expertise in cyber forensics, secure digital platforms, and e-governance systems. The initiative aims to transform the Section 79A accreditation mechanism into a transparent, standardized, and technology-driven process, aligned with international standards and best practices, while ensuring efficiency, legal defensibility, and scalability.

The first workshop under this project was organized on January29th, 2026 at the Department of Computer Science, University of Delhi, bringing together experts from MeitY, STQC, CERT-In, Central and State Forensic Laboratories, industry, and academia. The event was inaugurated by the Hon'ble Chief Guest Prof. Dinbandhu Sahoo, Chairperson, Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Council, University of Delhi. This was followed by an in-depth presentation on the existing notification framework by Dr. Gaurav Gupta, Scientist F and Director, MeitY, setting the regulatory context for the discussions.

Technical deliberations on relevant ISO standards were delivered byseniorscientists from STQC Directorate, University of Delhi and Jadavpur University. A key highlight of the workshop was the presentation by Shri Sourav Mitra, Scientist E, C-DAC Kolkata, the Principal Investigator of the project, who provided a comprehensive overview of the initiative and demonstrated the beta version of the automated web portal developed by C-DAC. The demonstration reflected C-DAC's strong capability in translating regulatory frameworks into robust, secure, and user-centric digital solutions.

The workshop marked a significant milestone in the project and reaffirmed C-DAC's pivotal role as a national technology enabler in the domains of cyber forensics and digital governance. With its deep technical expertise, proven execution capability, and close alignment with government objectives, C-DAC Kolkata is well positioned to deliver a future-ready, legally robust, and nationally scalable platform for automation of the Section 79A accreditation process. The initiative is expected to substantially strengthen India's digital forensic ecosystem, enhance trust in electronic evidence, and support informed policy and governance in the evolving digital landscape.