Section 5

Any person who, intentionally and without lawful authority causes a computer to perform any function knowing or having reason to believe that such function will result in unauthorised modification or damage or potential damage to any computer or computer system or computer programme shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding three hundred thousand rupees or to imprisonment of either description for as term which may extend to five years or to both such fine and imprisonment.

Illustrations

For any unauthorised modification or damage or potential damage to any computer or computer system or computer programme to take place, any one of the following may occur:—

impairing the operation of any computer, computer system or the reliability of any data or information held in any computer; or

destroying, deleting or corrupting, or adding, moving or altering any information held in any computer;

makes use of a computer service involving computer time and data processing for the storage or retrieval of data;

introduces a computer program which will have the effect of malfunctioning of a computer or falsifies the data or any information held in any computer or computer system.

above, it is immaterial whether the consequences referred to therein were of a temporary or permanent nature.