The Supreme Court has postponed its hearing of the Pegasus spyware case to Friday after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought additional time, news agency ANI reported.
According to ANI the Solicitor General asked for the extension because he will be arguing a different matter tomorrow, when the court was to consider the technical committee's interim report.
"Tomorrow Pegasus matters are coming up. I am in a part-heard matter (PMLA validity case) … I would be on my legs there. If it can be kept on Friday instead of tomorrow…" he was quoted by ANI.
The three-member technical committee, appointed by the top court and headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice RV Raveendran, on Monday submitted an interim report on the alleged use of the Israeli spyware to target phones of politicians, activists, journalists, and lawyers.
The committee also includes experts on cybersecurity, digital forensics, and computer networks.
The report was to be considered by a bench led by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and including Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli tomorrow.
On Wednesday the court was also to hear 12 petitions, including the ones filed by the Editors Guild of India and veteran journalists N Ram and Sashi Kumar.
{{/usCountry}}On Wednesday the court was also to hear 12 petitions, including the ones filed by the Editors Guild of India and veteran journalists N Ram and Sashi Kumar.
{{/usCountry}}The technical committee was appointed in October last year (the last time the court heard this case) in response to these petitions and given eight weeks' time to file its report.
At the time the court had warned that "indiscriminate spying on individuals cannot be allowed" and a lack of clarity on the government's stand meant it had no choice but to set up a committee.
The government's request to set up the committee on its own was turned down; the court said it would "violate the settled judicial principle against bias".
The government had earlier refused to file an affidavit citing national security; in September it said there was "nothing to hide" but making certain details public could give terrorists an advantage.
The government has also said it has no information on a report by The New York Times that India acquired the spyware as part of a $2 billion defence deal.
The Pegasus controversy erupted last year after allegations an Indian client of Israel's NSO Group (which developed the software) used it to illegally spy on Indian mobile phone numbers.
The numbers included those registered to opposition leaders like Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and poll strategist Prashant Kishor, as well as others critical of the government.
The government, however, has consistently said that the allegations are baseless; an affidavit filed in August last year said they were "based on conjectures and surmises or on other unsubstantiated media reports or incomplete or uncorroborated material".
With input from ANI