Pegasus panel submits final report to Supreme Court

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The court-appointed technical panel probing the Pegasus snooping allegations that the Israeli spyware had been used to allegedly infiltrate the phones of several politicians, journalists and activists in India, had submitted its final report to the Supreme Court a week ago, Hindustan Times reported.

The report has also mentioned that the case may be listed on August 12 before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli.

Moneycontrol couldn't independently verify the report.

The Supreme Court on May 20 extended the time for submitting the report after the apex court-appointed technical and supervisory committees said 29 “infected” mobile phones were being examined for spyware and the process should be over in four weeks.

The three-member committee was overseen by former Supreme Court Justice RV Raveendran.

The panel, which included experts on cyber security, digital forensics, networks and hardware, was asked to “inquire, investigate and determine” whether Pegasus spyware was used for snooping on citizens.

As many as 29 devices were evaluated by the panel for forensic investigation.

The alleged use of the Pegasus software to spy on politicians, journalists, human rights defenders and others in many countries, including India, has triggered concerns over issues relating to privacy.

The Supreme Court last year set up the independent expert panel to probe the alleged use of Pegasus. The court observed that the state cannot get a "free pass" every time the spectre of national security is raised.

Earlier, a New York Times report claimed that India bought Pegasus spyware as part of a USD 2 billion defence deal with Israel in 2017, triggering a major controversy, with the Opposition alleging that the government indulged in illegal snooping that amounted to "treason". The government had denied these allegations.