Pegasus snooping scandal: 13 weeks on, outcome of SC probe order awaited

New Delhi, January 29

Thirteen weeks after the Supreme Court set up Justice RV Raveendran (retd) Committee to “expeditiously” probe into the Pegasus snooping scandal, not much progress is visible.

Noting that citizens need to be protected from violation of privacy, a Bench led by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, had on October 27 set up an independent expert committee led by Justice Raveendran to look into allegations of snooping on journalists, activists, politicians, etc. using the spyware.

The Justice Raveendran-led committee, which is overseeing the work of a three-member technical committee, comprises former IPS officer Alok Joshi and Dr Sundeep Oberoi. The state can’t get a free pass every time the spectre of national security was raised, the top court had said. Asking the panel to expeditiously probe the issue and submit a report, the Bench had ordered that the matter be listed for hearing after eight weeks. However, the case has not come up for hearing so far. Later, it had restrained the Justice MB Lokur Commission appointed by the West Bengal Government from going ahead with its proceedings.

Not much is known about progress in the investigation, except that the technical committee had earlier this month invited information from people who suspected their phones were targeted.

An international media consortium had reported that over 300 verified Indian mobile phone numbers were on the list of potential targets for surveillance using the spyware. It was also reported 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, had moved the top court seeking an independent probe into the alleged snooping on eminent citizens, politicians and scribes by using Israeli firm NSO’s spyware.