Pegasus snooping scandal: Editors Guild of India moves SC for an SIT probe

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 3

The Editors Guild of India moved the Supreme Court seeking a special investigation team (SIT) probe into the alleged snooping on politicians, activists and journalists through the use Israeli firm NSO’s Pegasus spyware.

“Freedom of the press relies on non-interference by the government and its agencies in reporting of journalists, including their ability to securely and confidentially speak with sources, investigate abuse of power and corruption, expose governmental incompetence, and speak with those in opposition to the government,” the petition submitted.

The citizens of India have a right to know if the government is infringing upon the limits of their authority under the Constitution and what steps have been taken to safeguard their fundamental rights, it contended.

The petition comes barely two days before the scheduled hearing on a petition by noted journalist N Ram and others for a judge-led probe into the Pegasus snooping scandal.

On Monday, five other journalists had moved the top court seeking direction to the Centre to disclose all material/documents pertaining to the use of spyware on them. Claiming to be directly affected by the use of Pegasus spyware, petitioners, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, SNM Abdi, Prem Shankar Jha, Rupesh Kumar Singh and Ipsa Shatakshi contended that it violated their fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.

The Guild said all attempts to seek accountability and enforce Constitutional limits through Parliamentary processes have been stonewalled.

“Through their intransigence, the Respondents have deliberately avoided public debate on this issue and have provided obfuscated answers, forcing the Petitioner to approach this Court,” read the petition which challenged the validity of electronic surveillance, hacking and use of spyware, and the existing legal architecture for surveillance, in light of the gigantic leaps in technology and surveillance capabilities.

The Guild said journalists were tasked with enforcing the public’s right to be informed, accountability, and to an open and transparent government and to be able to fulfil this role, freedom of the press must be safeguarded.