Supreme Court panel finds no conclusive proof of Pegasus spyware in phones examined

New Delhi: After examining 29 phones, the technical committee appointed by the Supreme Court found some malware in 5 of them but no controversial spyware Pegasus software for surveillance.

CJI N V Ramana, who is heading the three-judge bench, said the government had not cooperated with the committee, taking the same stance it had taken before the Supreme Court in the panel proceedings.

The committee was tasked to probe the allegation of unauthorised use of Israeli NSO Group spyware Pegasus software for surveillance.

The bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli said it will upload the report of Justice Raveendran on its webpage.

The bench also said that those who handed in their phones to the technical committee requested not to reveal the report considering the presence of sensitive data.

The bench said it will decide what parts of the technical committee report can be made public, The Indian Express reported.

The Centre "unequivocally" denied the allegations against it filing a brief affidavit saying that the matter involved national security questions and as a result, it did not wish to put the details in a public affidavit, turning it into a matter of public debate.

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