Pegasus row: SC to hear pleas seeking independent probe today

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today will hear a batch of petitions seeking an independent probe into the alleged Pegasus snooping scam.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana had issued a notice to the Centre on the pleas on August 17, while making it clear that it did not want the government to disclose anything which compromises national security.

As soon as the matter came up for hearing before the bench, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre had said that due to some difficulties, the affidavit, sought by the bench, could not be filed and sought listing of the case either on Thursday or Monday.

The top court had also asked the Centre what is the "problem" if the competent authority files an affidavit before it on the issue.

The Centre had earlier filed a limited affidavit in the apex court saying the pleas seeking an independent probe into the Pegasus snooping allegations are based on "conjectures and surmises or on other unsubstantiated media reports or incomplete or uncorroborated material".

In its short affidavit filed in the court earlier, the Centre had said the position on the issue has already been clarified in Parliament by Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

With a view to dispelling any wrong narrative spread by certain vested interests and examining the issues raised, the government will constitute a committee of experts, it had said.

"Our considered response is what we have respectfully stated in our last affidavit. Kindly examine the issue from our point of view as our affidavit is sufficient," the law officer had told the bench, adding, "The Government of India is before the highest court of the country."

The law officer had said if the government of any country divulges information about which software is used and which is not used, then those involved in terrorist activities may take preemptive measures.

The pleas are related to reports of alleged snooping by government agencies on eminent citizens, politicians and scribes by using Israeli firm NSO's spyware Pegasus.

An international media consortium has reported that over 300 verified Indian mobile phone numbers were on the list of potential targets for surveillance using Pegasus spyware.