SC issues notic to Centre on Pegasus pleas

The Union government told the Supreme Court it has nothing to add to its affidavit on the Pegasus snooping matter filed on Monday that neither confirmed nor denied the use of the spyware to hack phones of ministers, politicians, businessmen, activists and journalists, following which the bench, headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, issued a formal notice to it on a clutch of petitions demanding a court-monitored independent investigation into the issue.

The court observed that it is “not averse” to the creation of an expert committee to look into the alleged surveillance of Indian citizens using the Israeli spyware -- as suggested by the government -- but that it expected the Union government to bring sufficient facts on record regarding the interception regime in India.

The government, however, maintained that any disclosure on its using or not using Pegasus spyware could affect national security, and reaffirmed its s of divulging such informa only to the proposed comm which, it added, can report t top court.

In line with its response a ago, the government said th interceptions were being do accordance with the statu procedure and it would not to put out in public dom details of software used for ful surveillance by filing additional affidavit.

On Monday, the governm filed a three-page affidavit o ing to set up an expert com tee to look into all aspects o controversy and “dispel wrong narrative spread by tain vested interests”. It fur contended that the petitions based on conjectures and mises or on other unsubst ated media reports or inc plete or uncorroborated m rial” and, hence, failed to m out any case to invoke writ j diction.

The bench, which inclu justices Surya Kant and Ani dha Bose, asked solicitor gen