SC To Set Up Technical Expert Panel To Probe Pegasus Snooping Case

Mumbai: CJI NV Ramana on Thursday said that the Supreme Court will constitute a technical expert committee to probe allegations of snooping of journalists, activists etc, using Pegasus spyware.

Chief Justice NV Ramana said the court will pass a formal order next week on petitions seeking an independent probe into the Pegasus case.

The Supreme Court bench said that earlier the verdict was to be pronounced on many petitions, now it will be read next week.

The CJI said that some experts have expressed their inability to join the committee due to personal reasons.

When the Supreme Court had reserved its order on the matter on September 13, the bench had said that it only wanted to know whether Pegasus software was used by the Center to illegally spy on citizens.

The Center had said during the last hearing that it would not file an affidavit in the matter and cited national security as the reason.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the court that he had nothing to hide in the matter.

“Whether this particular software was used or not is not a matter of public discussion,” Mehta told the bench.

The pleas have sought an independent investigation into claims that government agencies allegedly spied on eminent citizens, politicians and scribes with the help of Pegasus software made by Israeli firm NSO Group.

According to an international media consortium, more than 300 verified Indian mobile phone numbers were part of the thousands of potential targets for surveillance using Pegasus spyware.

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