The Supreme Court, on Friday, 17 December, stayed the ongoing investigation of the two-member commission set up by the West Bengal government, headed by former apex court Justice MB Lokur, into the Pegasus snooping allegations.
A bench comprising Chief Justice NV Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli noted that despite an earlier assurance from the West Bengal government that the commission would not proceed with the inquiry, it had commenced its work.
Global Village Foundation Public Charitable Trust, an NGO, had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) asking for the commission to be disbanded. The NGO had pressed for an urgent listing of the matter on Thursday, 16 December, stating that the committee set up by the West Bengal government was going ahead with the proceedings, despite giving an oral undertaking to the apex court that it won't be doing so.
On 27 October, the Supreme Court had appointed a three-member panel of cyber experts to probe the alleged use of Pegasus for surveillance of certain people in India. The SC had said that every citizen needed to be protected against privacy violations, and the State can't turn the court into a mute spectator just by the mere invocation of national security.
Last month, the West Bengal government had announced a commission of inquiry comprising Justice Lokur and former chief justice of Calcutta High Court Jyotirmay Bhattacharya. However, the West Bengal government later assured the apex court that the commission of inquiry would not proceed with its investigations. However, after that, the commission had issued a summons and heard depositions of witnesses.
The SC bench said that its committee comprising the three cyber experts was the reason why the Justice Lokur Committee's probe was being stayed.
What is the Pegasus Project?
Reports published since 18 July by an international collaboration called the 'Pegasus Project' – including online news portal The Wire in India – revealed that over 300 journalists, activists, Opposition leaders, government officials and even current Union ministers may have been potential targets of surveillance through the Israeli NSO-made Pegasus spyware over the past few years.
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