Court Not Mute Spectator: Decision Announced By SC On Pegasus Case

The hearing on the Pegasus spyware case today in the Supreme Court ended with the formation of a special three-member ‘expert committee’ to look into various aspects, including whether the software was used to target citizens. 

The court said “Justice should not only be done but be seen to be done” as it announced its judgement of the committee’s formation. 

The order was passed by a three-judge Bench headed by the CJI NV Ramana, and included Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli. While the government declined to provide the requisite information on ‘national security’ grounds, the Court said it cannot be precluded from proceeding on the matter on those grounds alone. 

The next hearing has been scheduled eight weeks from now.

Technical members: 1. Prof Naveen Kumar Chaudhary, Dean, Nat’l Forensic Sciences Univ, Gandhinagar.
2. Dr. Prabaharan P., Prof Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kerala.
3. Dr. Ashwin Anil Gumaste, Institute Chair Associate Prof, IIT Bombay@IndianExpress

— Ananthakrishnan G (@axidentaljourno) October 27, 2021

The Bench said that while “some restrictions” must exist on fundamental rights, those must bear “constitutional scrutiny”. It also said that privacy is a fundamental and important right in a democratic society.