SC restrains Bengal Pegasus probe, says ‘breach of undertaking’

The Supreme Court restrained a West Bengal government-appointed two-member Commission of Inquiry, headed by retired top court judge, justice Madan B Lokur, from investigating the alleged use of the Israeli Pegasus spyware to snoop on Indian citizens.
This order was passed by a bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli on a PIL filed by NGO ‘Global Village Foundation Charitable Trust’. Right at the beginning of the hearing, the CJI asked senior advocate A M Singhvi, who was appearing for West Bengal: “What is this? Last time you had given an undertaking. When we wanted to pass an order, you said it is not necessary and that you will convey to the Commission not to proceed with the inquiry.
“Again you have started the inquiry.” Singhvi squarely put the blame on the Commission’s door for continuing with the proceedings despite his conveying the desire of the SC, expressed on August 25, for the Commission to hold its hands till the apex court decided the bunch of petitions raising the issue of Pegasus and seeking a SC judge-monitored SIT probe into the alleged snooping using the spyware.
He said, “It was conveyed that the Commission should not proceed till the SC decides the matter. After the SC decided the matter (referring to the October 27 interim order), the Commission has started its work. The SC can call the Commission and pass orders.”
The Pegasus row erupted on July 18 after an international consortium of media outlets and investigative journalists reported that the phones of Indian ministers, politicians, activists, businessmen and journalists were among the 50,000 that were potentially targeted by Pegasus, Israeli company NSO Group’s phone hacking software.