The Future Crime Research Foundation has announced the jury panel for the FCRF Excellence Awards 2026, bringing together senior figures from policing, defence, cybersecurity, technology law, digital governance and national security.
The awards, now entering their third edition, will be presented during the FutureCrime Summit 2026, scheduled for 6th and 7th August 2026 at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi. The summit has emerged as one of India’s major platforms for conversations around cybercrime, digital forensics, financial crime, risk, emerging technologies and the institutional response to technology-enabled crime.
The jury announcement marks an important step in the build-up to the awards. Rather than limiting the process to a narrow technical committee, FCRF has assembled a panel that reflects the wider nature of the field itself: former police leaders, defence cyber specialists, national cybersecurity administrators, cyber law experts and institutional mentors.
Senior public service experience at the centre of the panel
The jury will be led by distinguished names with long records in public service, national security and institutional leadership.
Prof. (Dr.) Vikram Singh, Chancellor of Noida International University and former Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh, is among the senior-most members of the jury. A widely recognised public figure, he has served in one of the country’s most demanding policing roles and has remained active in public discourse on governance, law and order, public policy and national issues. His long career in policing and education brings institutional depth to the jury.
He is joined by Maj Gen Sandeep Sharma (Retd.), a former Indian Army officer with deep experience in cybersecurity, cyber warfare and defence technology. Having joined the Indian Army in 1981, Maj Gen Sharma has been associated with major cyber initiatives, including the creation of Army cyber capabilities, cyber audit systems, CERT-Army, forensic infrastructure and security testing frameworks. His presence brings a defence and national security perspective to the awards process.
Also on the panel is Arun Kumar, former Director General of the Railway Protection Force and a senior IPS officer from the 1985 batch. Kumar has held several senior positions, including in the Border Security Force and the Central Bureau of Investigation. His career has included work on high-profile investigations and leadership roles across policing and security agencies, giving the jury a strong investigative and law enforcement perspective.
Cyber governance, data security and legal expertise strengthen the jury
The jury also includes leading names from India’s cybersecurity policy, data security and technology law ecosystem.
Dr. Gulshan Rai, former Director General of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team and widely recognised as one of India’s senior cybersecurity administrators, brings experience from the highest levels of national cyber governance. He has worked across information technology, cybersecurity and e-governance, and has been associated with key institutional developments in India’s cyber policy landscape.
AVM (Dr.) Devesh Vatsa VSM (Retd.), Advisor at the Data Security Council of India, adds another defence and cyber operations dimension to the panel. With a career in the Indian Air Force and experience in operational communications, cyber capability development and information warfare-related initiatives, his inclusion reflects the growing overlap between cybersecurity, national security and institutional resilience.
Dr. Pavan Duggal, Advocate, Supreme Court of India, and a well-known authority on cyber law, cybercrime law, cybersecurity law, artificial intelligence law and emerging technology regulation, will bring a legal and policy lens to the jury process. His long-standing work in technology law and digital legal frameworks is expected to be significant as the awards evaluate contributions across cyber, fraud, digital trust and technology-enabled crime domains.
The seventh member of the jury is Prof. Triveni Singh, Ex-IPS, Chief Mentor of FCRF. A prominent cybercrime expert and former police officer, Prof. Singh has been closely associated with cybercrime investigation, law enforcement capacity building, public awareness and institutional training initiatives. His role as chief mentor positions him as a bridge between FCRF’s research, training and field-facing work.
Awards to recognise excellence across cybercrime response and digital trust
The FCRF Excellence Awards 2026 will recognise individuals, organisations and institutions working across key areas of cybersecurity, cybercrime investigation, digital forensics, fraud prevention, financial crime, risk management, technology law, privacy, innovation and digital trust.
Alongside broader cyber and risk categories, the awards will also include police-focused cyber categories, recognising excellence in cyber policing, cybercrime investigation, cyber fraud detection, cybercrime response, digital policing innovation, cyber training, cyber lab infrastructure and cyber intelligence work.
The award categories and registration process will be announced soon.
The awards will be presented during the FutureCrime Summit 2026, which will bring together law enforcement officers, policymakers, cybersecurity professionals, digital forensics experts, risk leaders, legal professionals, researchers, industry representatives and technology innovators.
Registrations for the Future Crime Summit 2026 are already live. Interested participants can click here to register for the FutureCrime Summit.
Organisations interested in sponsorships and exhibitions may write to research@futurecrime.org.
