Pegasus Project Row: CJI says 'no parallel debates', SC adjourns hearing to August 16

Supreme Court of India. (File image)

The Supreme Court of India briefly heard a batch of petitions seeking a court-monitored probe into the alleged targeted surveillance using Israel-made spyware Pegasus on August 10. It adjourned the hearing to August 16 after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had sought time to get instructions.

A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana, Justices Vineet Saran and Surya Kant, was hearing a batch of pleas, including the one filed by the Editors Guild of India, seeking an independent probe into the alleged Pegasus snooping matter. The pleas are related to reports of alleged snooping by government agencies on eminent citizens, politicians and scribes by using Israeli firm NSO's spyware Pegasus.

Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that he needed some time to take instructions from the government on the issue raised in the petitions.

On this, CJI Ramana said the court would take up the matters on August 16 as he was not available on August 13.

The bench took exception to parallel debates on social media and websites by some petitioners, who have filed pleas seeking an independent probe into the alleged Pegasus snooping matter, and said they should observe discipline. It said the apex court is not against debates but when the matter in pending in court, it should be deliberated upon here

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for senior journalists N Ram and Sashi Kumar who have filed one of the petitions in the matter, said Ram was trolled on social media after the last hearing on the issue of court proceedings related to Pegasus in California.

The bench said, "This is what we are saying. We ask questions from parties. We take both parties to task. The matter should be deliberated here and it should not be debated on social media and websites. Parties should have faith in the system."

An international media consortium has reported that over 300 verified Indian mobile phone numbers were on the list of potential targets for surveillance using Pegasus spyware. During the hearing in the matter on August 5, the top court had said that allegations of Pegasus related snooping are "serious in nature" if reports on them are correct.

Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha proceedings were again adjourned on the day till 12 noon as opposition members entered the Well of the House insisting on a debate on the issue of Israeli-made military-grade Pegasus spyware allegedly being used to snoop on opposition leaders, government critics and journalists.

(With inputs from PTI)