Supreme Court Committee Asks Citizens to Approach It If They Think Their Devices Were Infected with Pegasus Spyware

The committee issued the public notice on Sunday (January 2). The Supreme Court had formed a committee in October to look into the Pegasus Spyware scandal.

The Supreme Court-appointed committee issued a public notice on Sunday (January 2) asking citizens, who think their devices were infected with Pegasus Spyware, to approach it by January 7.

“The committee requests any citizen of India who has reasonable cause to suspect that his/her mobile has been compromised due to specific usage of NSO Group Israel’s Pegasus software to contact the technical committee appointed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, with reasons as to why you believe your device may have been infected with Pegasus malware, and whether you would be in a position to allow the Technical Committee to examine your device”, the notice read.

On October 27 last year, the Supreme Court had appointed a three-member committee to look into the Pegasus Spyware scandal. Petitioners had approached the Supreme Court alleging that their devices were snooped using the Israeli spyware.

The members of the panel include Dr Naveen Kumar Chaudhary, Dean, National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar; Dr Prabaharan P, Professor, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kerala; and Dr Ashwin Anil Gumaste, Institute Chair Associate Professor, IIT, Bombay.

In July last year, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led the West Bengal government had constituted a two-member committee to look into the Pegasus Spyware scandal.

On December 17, the Supreme Court stayed the proceedings of the West Bengal government-appointed commission saying it was already looking into the matter.

Earlier, in August, the West Bengal government had assured the Supreme Court that its committee will not proceed further till the petitions before the Supreme Court in the matter are disposed.

The SC committee is expected to find out if indeed NSO Pegasus Spyware was used to snoop upon some citizens of the country, including cabinet ministers, lawyers, judges and journalists.

Pegasus Spyware, a snooping software by Israel-based NSO, was suspected to be installed in many devices in the country. NSO claims that it sells its products only to governments and that too on the condition that it would be used for national security purposes.

The SC Committee is expected to find out if the Union government or any state government did use the services of NSO. The nodal point for the collection of devices is Delhi.