SC to hear plea seeking probe into Pegasus
New Delhi: The Supreme Court to hear on August 5 pleas seeking court-monitored probe into the reports of government allegedly using Israeli software Pegasus to spy on politicians, activists, and journalists.
Senior journalists N Ram and Sashi Kumar filed a petition seeking a judicial inquiry into the alleged surveillance of Indian citizens by Pegasus spyware and identifying the entities responsible for surveillance.
Read: Pegasus Spyware Scandal: Rahul Gandhi demands Shah’s resignation for treason
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the petition, told the SC bench that this matter has huge ramifications on civil liberties as it involves surveillance of opposition leaders, journalists and activists.
The bench headed by CJI NV Ramana, Justice Surya Kant, agreed to Sibal’s request of taking up the matter next week.
According an investigative report by The Wire, Israel spy software Pegasus was allegedly used to put on surveillance, phones of two serving union ministers, three opposition leaders, one constitutional authority, current and former heads of security organisations, administrators, businessmen and 40 senior journalists and activists from across India, according to an expose by a global consortium of media publications, including The Wire in India.
