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Pegasus controversy: Opposition welcomes move as SC forms probe committee
Congress leader Randeep Surjewala tweeted shortly after the Supreme Court announced the move, slamming what he called “pseudo nationalism”, while TMC MP Derek O’Brien also reacted sharply
The Supreme Court on Wednesday formed an expert committee that has been tasked to probe allegations of breach of privacy over the Pegasus spyware controversy. Opposition leaders welcomed the top court’s move.
Congress leader Randeep Surjewala tweeted shortly after the Supreme Court announced the move, slamming what he called “pseudo nationalism”. “[I] welcome the Supreme Court order setting up a special committee to examine the misuse of spyware #Pegasus despite the Modi government’s embarrassing attempts to evade, avoid and divert attention in the name of national security,” he tweeted.
Surjewala sought to draw parallels between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration and British writer George Orwell’s novel 1984.
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Surjewala tweeted, “The mirror today for the Modi government is the quote from George Orwell’s ‘1984’- A dystopian state, where the government oppresses free speech, manufactures false propaganda on a daily basis, and violates the personal lives of its citizens through constant surveillance. #PegasusSnoopgate.”
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien retweeted journalist Arvind Gunasekar’s tweet on the development and wrote, “BOOM. There you go. So the BJP (and not the Opposition) were solely responsible for DISRUPTING THE ENTIRE MONSOON SESSION of #Parliament.”
Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas of the CPI(M) welcomed the Supreme Court order directing an investigation by a team of experts. “The [Supreme Court’s] directions to an expert committee to make recommendations to ensure the prevention of invasion of citizens’ right to privacy… is a leap forward in the area of privacy protection,” he said.
Brittas, in a writ petition filed before the top court, had sought a court-monitored probe handled by experts.
The Pegasus spyware row erupted on July 18 after an international consortium of media outlets and investigative journalists reported that the phones of Indian ministers, politicians, activists, businessmen and journalists were among 50,000 persons who were potentially targeted by Pegasus, Israeli company NSO Group’s phone hacking software.
According to the consortium, Pegasus can switch on its target’s smartphone camera and microphone, as well as access data on the device.
Responding to a petitions filed by lawyers, politicians, journalists and civil rights activists, the union ministry of electronics and IT filed a three-page affidavit on August 16 that refused to confirm or deny whether it had used Pegasus spyware to carry out a surveillance programme.
The Centre instead offered to set up an expert committee to look into the controversy and “dispel any wrong narrative spread by certain vested interests”.
