An Indian IT vendor has been jailed for 28 weeks in Singapore after putting more than 18,000 State Courts files at risk.
What Led to the 28-Week Jail Term?
Janarthanan Tamil Kovan, 42, pleaded guilty to endangering the safety of documents belonging to Singapore’s State Courts and the Government of Singapore under the Official Secrets Act, and to making an unlawful modification to a government-managed laptop issued to him. A third charge was taken into consideration.
Janarthanan had allowed an acquaintance to remotely access the laptop. Although no files were transferred during the remote session, the connection potentially exposed information stored on the device.
In June 2024, Janarthanan was working as a service delivery manager with Lenovo PCCW Solutions and was attached to the State Courts as an external IT vendor. He led the State Courts’ cloud system team, which managed various court systems and applications.
Why Was Remote Access Given?
Janarthanan had been issued a government-managed Lenovo ThinkPad governed by GovTech’s acceptable use policy and Lenovo’s own policy. Both prohibited unauthorised access and modifications.
On August 4, 2025, he decided to use the laptop to take an examination for an international professional association focused on information technology governance, seeking certification as a certified information security manager. His personal laptop was faulty.
After being unable to operate the security-protected device, he contacted a person he knew as Hari Balan, with whom he had previously communicated on WhatsApp about IT-related courses. Balan had an IP address in India. The remote connection was then established to the government-managed laptop.
What Information Was Put at Risk?
At the time, Janarthanan’s laptop contained 18,016 files belonging to the State Courts. All but one were classified as restricted and non-sensitive, while the remaining file was classified as restricted and sensitive, with a high classification.
The files contained login credentials, secret keys and details of the State Courts’ network architecture. While they did not contain sensitive case-specific information, the material could potentially have been used to gain unauthorised access to systems holding sensitive and confidential information, including case information and judges’ notes.
On August 14, 2025, a representative from the Corporate Services Division of the Singapore judiciary lodged a police report concerning the unauthorised installation of the remote desktop application.
Janarthanan was subsequently investigated by the Technology Crime Investigation Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department. In September 2025, he admitted that his actions had endangered the files, which could have been transferred or stolen during the remote connection.
What Did the Court Say About the Risk?
Deputy Public Prosecutor Matthew Choo sought a jail term of seven to nine months, arguing that Janarthanan had been entrusted with a laptop containing sensitive information and should have known not to permit unauthorised access or modifications, particularly as leader of the State Courts’ cloud system team.
Defence lawyers S Balamurugan and A Ravidaass sought three to four months’ imprisonment. Balamurugan said Janarthanan had two children in India with his wife and that his family was facing financial difficulties.
District Judge Lorraine Ho, however, found that the potential harm was serious, noting the possibility of a systemic attack that could cause public alarm and fear. The judge also noted that Janarthanan had allowed an unknown foreign entity unauthorised access to data on his laptop.
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