News Analysis India

Tag: Snooping

  • Kamal Nath demands probe into Pegasus snooping case by Supreme Court judge 

    By PTI
    BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath on Wednesday termed the alleged snooping by the Israeli spyware Pegasus as the “biggest attack on the privacy” of people and demanded a probe into it by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court.

    Addressing a press conference here, the former state chief minister also said that the Centre should file an affidavit in the Supreme Court that it did not use this spyware.

    He said the Centre is denying the charges of snooping through the Pegasus spyware.

    READ HERE | Shashi Tharoor-headed Parliamentary panel to question Centre on Pegasus phone tapping row on July 28

    The Union government should clarify whether it (the spyware) was purchased for the “national security or Modi security”, he said.

    Nath said the Centre should “file an affidavit in the Supreme Court that it had not obtained this spyware and its license from the Israel-based NSO (company)”.

    “This alleged snooping is the biggest attack on privacy…an investigation should also be carried out into the matter by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court, whose phone was not snooped upon.

    The judge should be appointed (for the probe) with the consent of the opposition parties,” the Congress leader said.

    Nath noted that France has already ordered an inquiry into the alleged spying by Pegasus.

    An international media consortium on Sunday reported that several verified mobile phone numbers, including of two serving ministers, various journalists, some opposition leaders and a sitting judge besides scores of business persons and activists in India could have been targeted for hacking through the Israeli spyware sold only to government agencies.

    The government, however, dismissed allegations of any kind of surveillance on its part on specific people, saying it “has no concrete basis or truth associated with it whatsoever”.

  • Suvendu Adhikari booked for transfer threat to senior cop, call detail access claims

    By PTI
    TAMLUK/KOLKATA: Amid the nationwide row over alleged snooping activities with Pegasus spyware, Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, stoked a controversy when he said that he got access to call details of Purba Medinipur district SP Amarnath K, prompting the police on Tuesday to file suo motu cases against him.

    Adhikari, during a party meeting in the district’s Tamluk area on Monday, had also publicly advised the local police chief to “refrain from doing anything that might lead to his transfer to Kashmir”.

    Taking cognisance of his remarks, the district police, during the day, filed suo motu cases against the BJP MLA and 14 of his aides under various sections of the IPC, including one dealing with the Disaster Management Act for holding a rally without permission, and another related to deterring a public servant from performing his duty.

    The senior BJP leader, in his message to the district superintendent of police (SP), had said, “Do not file fake cases. I have evidence to prove that they are fake and politically motivated. I will file public interest litigation seeking a CBI probe into such allegations. Please do not do anything that would lead to your transfer to Kashmir’s Anantnag or Baramulla.”

    The saffron party legislator is facing multiple probes, one of which involves alleged tarpaulin theft.

    The Nandigram MLA, who narrowly defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in assembly elections held earlier this year, also said, “I have details of all calls made to you (SP and other police personnel) by the office of the nephew (TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee),” and added that “if you have the state government’s support, we have the Centre by our side”.

    Citing the example of former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar, who the CBI had grilled for his alleged involvement in chit fund cases, Adhikari said it would be best if police officers carry out duties without bias.

    He hailed the NHRC report on Bengal’s post-poll violence, which noted that the situation in the state is a manifestation of “law of the ruler” and not the “rule of law”.

    The leader of opposition added that he would hold a mass agitation in the district on August 9 with one lakh people to protest against all such “malpractices”.

    The district SP, when contacted, said, “We have lodged suo motu cases against Mr Adhikari. He claimed he has call records. Since he is not working in the law enforcement, he can’t be having such devices (to record calls).”

    The Nandigram legislator’s assertions at the party meeting have further triggered a war of words between the TMC and the BJP, with the state’s ruling party demanding Adhikari’s arrest for “illegally snooping into the phone of a public servant and threatening him with a transfer”.

    “Suvendu Adhikari should be arrested immediately and interrogated in custody. He has proved that Pegasus was used to snoop on many people, including Abhishek Banerjee. It is a heinous crime. The Centre is misusing its powers,” said TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh.

    The state BJP unit, however, came out in Adhikari’s defence and said if action is taken against Adhikari, TMC leader Mukul Roy should also be arrested for making similar allegations after switching over to the BJP in 2017.

    “Suvendu Adhikari is a seasoned politician. He made the statements at a rally. If the police can lodge cases against Adhikari, then why is Mukul Roy being spared? “After joining the BJP, he said in an interview that the TMC government had tapped his phones. Was that statement true or false?” state BJP chief spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya maintained.

    Roy, who had quit the TMC in 2017 and joined the BJP, returned to the state’s ruling party last month.

    The TMC has come down heavily on the BJP government at the Centre after party leader Abhishek Banerjee’s name apparently figured in the list of targets of the Pegasus spying operation, terming it as “an attack on democracy”.

  • Allegations of surveillance on specific people has no concrete basis or truth: Government

    By IANS
    NEW DELHI: Amid reports of snooping of prominent citizens, the Indian government said that allegations of surveillance on specific people has no concrete basis or truth associated with it whatsoever.

    In response to journalists’ queries on snooping of prominent citizens, Additional Secretary, Electronics and Information Technology, Rajender Kumar said: “India is a robust democracy that is committed to ensuring the right to privacy to all its citizens as a fundamental right. In furtherance of this commitment, it has also introduced the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, to protect the personal data of individuals and to empower users of social media platforms.”

    “The commitment to free speech as a fundamental right is the cornerstone of India’s democratic system. We have always strived to attain an informed citizenry with an emphasis on a culture of open dialogue. Government of India’s response to a Right to Information application about the use of Pegasus has been prominently reported by the media and is in itself sufficient to counter any malicious claims about the alleged association between the Government of India and Pegasus,” he added.

    He stated that the questionnaire sent to the Government of India indicates that “the story being crafted is one that is not only bereft of facts but also founded in preconceived conclusions”.

    “It seems you are trying to play the role of an investigator, prosecutor as well as jury,” he wrote.

    He pointed out that answers to the queries posed have already been in public domain for a long time, and it also indicates poorly conducted research and lack of due diligence by the media organisations involved.

    He held that in India there is a well-established procedure through which lawful interception of electronic communication is carried out in order for the purpose of national security, particularly on the occurrence of any public emergency or in the interest of public safety, by agencies at the Centre and states.

    “The requests for these lawful interception of electronic communication are made as per relevant rules under the provisions of Section 5(2) of Indian Telegraph Act ,1885 and Section 69 of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2000,” the official said.

    He mentioned that India’s Minister of Electronics & IT has also spoken in detail, including in the Parliament, that there has been no unauthorised interception by Government agencies.

    “It is important to note that government agencies have a well-established protocol for interception, which includes sanction and supervision from highly ranked officials in Central and state governments, for clear stated reasons only in national interest. The allegations regarding government surveillance on specific people has no concrete basis or truth associated with it whatsoever,” he said.

    He further mentioned that in the past, similar claims were made regarding the use of Pegasus on WhatsApp by the Indian state and those reports also had no factual basis and were categorically denied by all parties, including WhatsApp in the Indian Supreme Court.

    “This news report, thus, also appears to be a similar fishing expedition, based on conjectures and exaggerations to malign the Indian democracy and its institutions,” he said.