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*SC appoints committee of experts to inquire into alleged use of Israeli spyware Pegasus for surveillance of Indian citizens.
*Three-member committee to probe into alleged use of Pegasus spyware will be headed by former apex court judge RV Raveendran, says SC.
*Pegasus spyware matter: SC asks expert panel to prepare its report expeditiously, posts hearing on batch of pleas after 8 weeks.
*Pegasus snooping: SC says it was an extremely uphill task to select members of expert panel who are free from prejudices.
*Violation of right to privacy, freedom of speech, as alleged in pleas, needs to be examined, says SC on Pegasus snooping.
*Every citizen of India ought to be protected against violation of privacy, says SC on Pegasus snooping matter.
*Pegasus: SC declines Centre’s plea to appoint expert panel on its own, says such course would violate judicial principle against bias.
*Mere invocation of national security by state does not render court a mute spectator, says SC while hearing Pegasus matter.
*There has only been a vague denial in “limited affidavit” filed by Centre, which cannot be sufficient: SC on Pegasus. PTI
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 27
The Supreme Court will on Wednesday pronounce verdict on petitions seeking a court-monitored SIT probe into allegations of snooping on journalists, activists, politicians etc, using the Israeli Pegasus spyware.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana ndash; which had on September 23 said it was contemplating setting up an expert panel to look into the allegations of snooping ndash; is scheduled to pronounce it on Wednesday morning.
The CJI had said the order was getting delayed as several experts expressed unwillingness to be part of the technical committee.
An international media consortium had reported that over 300 verified Indian mobile phone numbers were on the list of potential targets for surveillance using Pegasus spyware. It was also reported that phones of a former judge of the Supreme Court and its registrars were allegedly intercepted using the spyware.
Around 10 petitioners, including the Editors Guild of India and senior journalists N Ram and others, have sought an independent probe into the alleged snooping.
Earlier, the Bench ndash; which also included Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli ndash; had on September 13 said it would pass an interim order in the matter after the Centre showed reluctance in filing an affidavit clarifying if Pegasus spyware was used by government agencies.
Citing national security, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had said the government didn’t want to file any additional affidavit to publicly clarify if Pegasus spyware was used for snooping or not even if he maintained that the Centre had nothing to hide.
“You have repeatedly been saying that the government doesn’t want to file an affidavit. We also don’t want any security issues to be put before us. You say that a committee will be formed and the report will be submitted…We have to look into the whole issue and pass an interim order,” the Bench had said, adding the government was beating around the bush.
Earlier, the Centre had filed a short affidavit saying that the pleas seeking an independent probe into the Pegasus snooping allegations are based on “conjectures and surmises or on other unsubstantiated media reports or incomplete or uncorroborated material”.
The Centre had said it was ready to set up an expert panel to dispel any wrong narrative spread by certain vested interests. It had also said its position had already been clarified in Parliament by Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.