Pegasus row: Senior journalists move SC seeking independent inquiry into govt snooping allegations

The petitioners claimed that investigation has revealed over 142 Indians as potential targets

Senior journalists N Ram and Sashi Kumar have approached the Supreme Court for an independent probe by its sitting or retired judge into alleged snooping on eminent citizens, politicians and scribes by using Israeli spyware Pegasus.

Claiming that the act amounted to "cyber-terrorism", they said that the move has an obvious chilling effect on freedom of speech and expression by threatening invasion into the most core and private aspects of a person's life.

The plea sought to investigate if the illegal hacking into the phones using the Pegasus spyware represented an attempt by agencies and organisations to muzzle and curb the exercise of free speech and expression of dissent in India.

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It also sought a direction to the Centre to disclose if the government or any of its agencies obtained license for Pegasus spyware and used it, either directly or indirectly, to conduct surveillance in any manner.

The petitioners claimed that investigation involving several leading publications around the world has revealed that more than 142 Indians, including journalists, lawyers, government ministers, opposition leaders, constitutional functionaries and civil society activists, have been identified as potential targets for surveillance using Pegasus software.

It claimed that the forensic analysis of several mobile phones belonging to persons targeted for surveillance by the Security Lab of Amnesty International have confirmed Pegasus-induced security breaches.

“The targeted surveillance using military-grade spyware is an unacceptable violation of the right to privacy which has been held to be a fundamental right under Articles 14 (equality before the law), 19 (freedom of speech and expression) and 21 (protection of life and personal liberty) by the Supreme Court,” it added.

It said the hacking of phones seriously compromised the effective exercise of the fundamental rights, besides constituting a criminal offence under the Information Technology Act.

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