Senior journalists seek SC order to probe Pegasus snooping

New Delhi: Senior journalists N Ram and Sashi Kumar have approached the Supreme Court seeking an order to investigate into the snooping scandal using Israeli Pegasus spyware.

In their petition, they have pointed out the magnitude of the digital surveillance, in which several individuals involved in social and political issues, including opposition leaders, two union ministers and 40 journalists were victims.

Taking into consideration the investigation carried out by several leading publications around the world that is known as the Pegasus Project which identified over 142 persons in India as potential targets of the NSO's Pegasus spyware, the petitioners pleaded with the Supreme Court to order for a court-monitored investigation.

The petition also urged the court to direct the Union government to disclose its involvement in obtaining a license for the spyware to monitor individuals directly or indirectly, while the Israeli firm NSO insists that it sells spyware only to vetted governments.

To add to the veracity of their claim, the petitioners also argued that the Security Lab of Amnesty International through the forensic analysis had confirmed the phones belonging to people listed as potential targets were infected with the spyware.

Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, two union ministers, businessman Anil Ambani, a former CBI chief, a virologist and 40 journalists are on the list of 300 phones from India revealed to be on the list of potential targets on the leaked database of NSO. It is not established, however, that all the phones were hacked.

Similar petitions seeking a probe into the Pegasus surveillance were also filed in the Supreme Court by CPM MP John Brittas and advocate ML Sharma.