The Pegasus snooping controversy has now reached the Supreme Court with advocate Manohar Lal Sharma filing public interest litigation (PIL) in the case. The advocate has requested the top court to form a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the allegations that the government agencies conducted snooping of journalists, activists, ministers, and others using the software developed by Israeli firm NSO group. The petitioner called it a matter of grave concern and an attack on Indian democracy and the judiciary.
Notably, a consortium of media outlets, including The Wire in India have published a list of targets including world leaders, activists, journalists, opposition figures among others who they claim were being surveilled using the Pegasus software developed and distributed by the NSO Group. In India, the list of people alleged to have been targetted through the Pegasus software includes Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Prashant Kishor, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw among others.
In his petition, advocate ML Sharma has raised questions over the buying of the Pegasus software by the government and called it a violation of Articles 266(3), 267(2) & 283(2) of the Indian constitution. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his ministers, and the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) have been made the respondents in the case.
The petitioner underscored the importance of privacy, calling it “an essential component of dignity and agency”. He also asserted that the Pegasus software was not merely a surveillance tool, but also posed a threat to the country’s security. In his PIL, ML Sharma seeks a court-monitored probe by the SIT to investigate and prosecute those responsible for buying the software and using it for snooping.
Both the NSO Group and the Indian government have denied the allegations that the Pegasus software was used for surveillance purposes.
