Kerala Assembly Speaker MB Rajesh called the reports of Pegasus ‘Snoopgate’ — in which an international media consortium revealed how spyware called Pegasus created by the Israeli NSO Group and sold to governments was possibly used to surveil thousands of phone numbers — as a violation of the right to liberty and the fundamental rights of Indian citizens. The Speaker, while addressing the media on Tuesday, July 20, ahead of the Assembly session, stated that an investigation should be conducted. The 20-day Assembly session will begin on July 22.
An investigation by Amnesty International and Paris-based non-profit Forbidden Stories and published by a consortium of 16 global media outlets revealed that more than 50,000 phone numbers from across the world are believed to have been targeted for hacking through the spyware called Pegasus. "The phone snooping has raised serious questions. It's the violation of rights that the Constitution ensures. Article 21 of the Constitution ensures the right to live [Article 21 ensures that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to a procedure established by law]. This also includes the right to privacy. Snooping is a violation of Article 21 and that of the right to liberty. It’s also a violation of fundamental rights. The SC had also maintained that privacy is a fundamental right," the Speaker pointed out.
In the PUCL (People Union of Civil Liberties) vs Union of India case in 1996, the Supreme Court order stated that phone tapping is a serious invasion of an individual's privacy. The global media consortium has reported that more than 300 phone numbers from India are believed to have been targeted. The phone numbers include that of incumbent ministers, journalists, opposition leaders and one sitting judge, apart from scores of business persons and activists in India who could have been targeted through Pegasus.
"Snooping is unthinkable in a democratic system. The allegations should be probed and the facts should come out. The details that have come out are sufficient enough for an investigation," the Speaker said.
Some whose phones were reportedly infiltrated by the spyware include Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, political analyst Prashant Kishor, The Wire editor-in-chief Siddharth Vardarajan, The Hindu journalist Vijaita Singh and virologist Gagandeep Kang, Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor, who heads the Parliamentary Standing Committee, told TNM in an interview that, “The agenda item is still alive and the matter can be pursued further.”