Mamata Banerjee orders judicial probe into Pegasus snooping row

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 26

Upping the ante in her face-off with the Centre, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday constituted a two-member judicial commission to probe into the Pegasus snooping allegations. The issue led to repeated disruptions and adjournment of both Houses of Parliament today.

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Mamata’s announcement came shortly before she left for New Delhi from Kolkata to hold talks with opposition leaders to cobble up an anti-BJP front for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The commission would comprise former Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Jyotirmay Bhattacharya and former Supreme Court Judge MB Lokur. The panel has been given six months to submit its report.

“The Cabinet today approved the appointment of a Commission of Inquiry in exercise of power conferred by Section 3 of the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, in the matter of widely reported illegal hacking, monitoring, putting under surveillance, tracking and recording of mobile phones of various persons in West Bengal,” she said.

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According to reports, Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee, a nephew of Mamata, and poll strategist Prashant Kishor were among potential targets of the spyware during the Assembly elections in West Bengal.

Under the Commission of Inquiry Act, both the Centre and states can institute a probe. However, if the Centre has ordered such an inquiry, “no state government shall, except with the approval of the Union Government, appoint another commission to inquire into the same matter for so long as the commission appointed by the Centre is functioning,” the Act says.

Mamata’s move is being seen as an attempt by her to force the Centre’s to order a wider probe as the potential targets in the list include people from several states.