Congress Seeks Names of Ministers Snooped Through Pegasus
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Congress Demands Disclosure on 300 Indians Tapped Through Pegasus
By Raisina Correspondent
New Delhi, December 22: The Congress on Sunday sought disclosure from the government on names of two Union Ministers who had been tapped through the Pegasus spyware. The Congress demand came after a US court held the Israeli company NSO liable for targeting WhatsApp users globally.
“Time for the Modi government to answer: Who are the 300 names targeted! Who are the two Union Ministers? Who are the three Opposition leaders,” asked Randeep Surjewala, the Congress leader, in a post on X.
The Pegasus spyware controversy had rocked previously also with the Opposition claiming that they had been snooped through illegal means. International media reports have claimed that the Israeli spyware has been sold to government agencies in several countries.
“The Pegasus spyware case verdict proves how 300 WhatsApp numbers of Indians were targeted in the illegal spyware racket,” added the Congress leader. He asked the government to disclose the targets of the spyware.
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“Who is the Constitutional authority? Who are the journalists? Who are the business persons,” asked Surjewala while stating the alleged vast coverage of the spyware. A report in The Indian Express said that 300 of the 1400 users targeted by the Pegasus spyware were from India.
The report said that the US court indicted Pegasus, holding the Israeli firm liable for damages. The Supreme Court in a ruling has held privacy as the fundamental right of the citizens. The illegal use of the Pegasus spyware will be seen as an intrusion into the privacy of the citizens by the government.
“What information was retrieved by the BJP government and agencies? How was it used – misused and to what consequence,” asked Surjewala. The Congress leader also asked “will appropriate criminal cases be now lodged against political executive/officers in the present government and company owning NSO”.
He also asked, “Will Supreme Court take note of the judgement of U.S Court in Meta V/S NSO? Will the Supreme Court proceed to make public the report of Committee of Technical Experts on Pegasus Spyware, submitted to it in 2021-22?”
He also asked: “Will the Supreme Court now conduct further inquiry in view of the judgement affirming targeting of 1,400 WhatsApp numbers, including 300 from India? Will the Supreme Court now ask Meta to submit to itself the 300 names to meet the ends of justice in Pegasus case?”
The Congress leader also asked the social media platform Facebook, which is now called Meta, to release the names of 300 Indians targeted by Pegasus. Surjewala stated that WhatsApp and Facebook have the “biggest subscriber base in India and they have ‘duty of care & disclosure’ to its clients in India?”
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