Spying not allowed: Supreme Court orders probe into Pegasus issue

- Freedom of the media The fourth important pillar of democracy: the Supreme

- A committee of three cyber experts headed by a former judge will investigate, the report will be submitted to the Supreme Court in eight weeks.

- Spying cannot be done in the name of national security, we cannot sit idly by: Supreme Court slaps govt

New Delhi: A number of petitions seeking an independent inquiry into the Pegasus espionage controversy have been filed in the Supreme Court, which has finally accepted the demands and has now ordered an independent inquiry into the spying case. As a result, the central government has suffered a major blow in the Supreme Court. Opposition leaders have accused the government of tapping their mobile phones and should be investigated. The Supreme Court has ordered the formation of a committee of special experts to look into the matter.

During the hearing, the apex court took a stern stance and also slammed the government. The court said spying on people could not be carried out at any cost. The whole matter will now be investigated by a committee of three expert members. The committee has also been given eight weeks to investigate. Petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court seeking an inquiry into the Pegasus espionage case from journalists N Ram and Shashi Kumar as well as the Editors Guild of India.

As many as 200 phone numbers were tapped in India, alleging that Pegasus software was used for spying or painting. Former judge RV Ravindran has been made the chairman of the inquiry committee set up by the Supreme Court. The petitions were heard by Supreme Court Chief Justice NV Ramanna and Justice Suryakant as well as Hima Kohli. The government argued in court that we would form our own committee to investigate the matter in our own way. However, the court rejected these arguments and said that it was necessary to show that justice was being done.

The Supreme Court cannot be a silent spectator unless the government spies on anyone in the name of national security. The Constitution gives people the right to privacy which should not be violated. The apex court said that the committee was completely independent and it was necessary to show that justice was being done. Referring to the right to privacy, the Supreme Court said that everyone wants their right to privacy to be protected. The Supreme Court said that freedom of the media is the fourth important pillar of democracy. Citizens cannot be spied on in the name of national security. The Supreme Court also referred to an article written by Samuel Warr during the 190's on the right to privacy. The committee, which is currently under investigation by the Supreme Court, has a lot of experience and will submit its report within eight weeks. Only then will the veil be lifted from all charges.

Experts involved in the Supreme Court's High Level Investigation Committee

Retired Judge RV Ravindran has been given the responsibility of chairing the inquiry committee constituted by the Supreme Court. The committee formed under his chairmanship also includes former Haryana IPS Alok Joshi and Sandeep Singh Oberoi, chairman of the International Standardization and Electro-Technical Commission, and forensic expert Dr Naveen Kumar Chaudhary.

Alok Joshi was ordered to be appointed secretary in Rome in 2012. They have done special work on Pakistan and Nepal. There were also SPs in several districts in Haryana. He has also worked abroad. However they have done more by staying in Rome. After retiring from Rome in 2013, he was appointed chairman of the NTRO.

Another member, Dr. Sandeep Oberoi is an expert in the field of information and cyber. He has held important positions in industry and research for three decades. He is considered the master of cyber security.

The third member, Dr. Naveen Kumar Chaudhary is considered an IoT security and forensic expert. He is currently serving as the Dean of National Forensic Science Uni., Gandhinagar. He has extensive experience in Digital Forensics, Cyber ​​Security, E-Governance, Drone Forensics, Next Generation Networks, Communication Engineering.