The report also added that as many as 29 phones were examined and malware was found in five but it is not confirmed if Pegasus was used.
New Delhi: The Centre has not cooperated, said a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice N V Ramana on Thursday. It also added that as many as 29 phones were examines and malware was found in five. However, there’s no conclusive proof of the Pegasus spyware being used.
A technical committee was set up to examine claims of the presence of Pegasus spyware and the court is scrutinising the report submitted by the committee. It was alleged that the Pegasus spyware was used to snoop on phones used by journalists, activists and Opposition leaders.
The report is divided into three parts — two reports by the technical committee and one by the committee overseeing the process headed by retired judge of the Supreme Court Justice R V Ranveendran.
The Supreme Court bench hearing the case, which also comprises Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, said the committee has suggested amending the law to protect the right to privacy of the citizens to ensure cyber security in the country.
The CJI said, “We will be making the third part of the report by Justice Raveendran on recommendations public on our website…the committee has asked not to publish the full report in the public domain.” When some of the petitioners sought a copy of the first two parts of the report, the CJI said the apex court will examine the demand. The matter has been adjourned for four weeks.
The apex court had formed a committee to investigate if the Indian government had purchased and used Pegasus to spy on those in opposition. The revelation of the spyware had raked up a major political storm and made headlines across the world. The Pegasus spyware was made by an Israeli firm called the NSO Group and was used to spy on several big names across the globe.
