Ready to form probe panel on Pegasus to dispel narrative: Govt
NEW DELHI: The Union government on Monday refrained from confirming or denying in the Supreme Court, its use of the Pegasus spyware for alleged surveillance of Indian citizens even as it offered to set up an expert committee to look into all aspects of the controversy and “dispel any wrong narrative spread by certain vested interests”.
A bench, headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, asked solicitor general Tushar Mehta repeatedly during the proceedings whether the government will come clean on the purchase or use of Pegasus. The S-G, however, maintained that a committee of experts should rather be allowed to delve into the issue, adding “whatever interception was done, it was done in the interest of national security”.
The bench asked Mehta why the government shouldn’t file an additional affidavit so that the court could have clarity regarding all the averments made by them. “An affidavit of facts can be filed by you. If you don’t want to file the additional affidavit, then only the question of the committee will come up,” the CJI told the S-G.
The S-G, however, urged the bench to rather have a technical committee of “some neutral and eminent experts” who could examine all the aspects and submit a report before the court instead of imploring the government to clarify anything on the use of Pegasus.
At this point, the bench adjourned the proceedings for Tuesday, asking Mehta to revert if there is a “change of mind” on making a statement on the use of Pegasus.
In its three-page affidavit filed nearly an hour before the top court was to consider a clutch of petitions for a court-monitored independent investigation into the alleged snooping, the Union government contended that the petitions “are based on conjectures and surmises or on other unsubstantiated media reports or incomplete or uncorroborated material” and, hence, failed to make out any case to invoke writ jurisdiction.
“It is, however, submitted that with a view to dispel any wrong narrative spread by certain vested interests and with an object of examining the issues raised, the Union of India will constitute a committee of experts in the field which will go in to all aspects of the issue,” stated the affidavit, filed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
While the affidavit said that the government “unequivocally” denies “any and all of the allegations”, it did not answer whether the Union government or any agency authorised by it used Pegasus for surveillance and was in possession of any information obtained using the spyware.
The law officer argued that the petitioners were unlikely to withdraw their cases even if the Centre was to state on an affidavit that it did not use Pegasus.